Bearden’s girls soccer team fell to Houston in PKs of the 2024 Class AAA state championship game on Saturday, Oct. 26, in Chattanooga. (photo by Charles Mays Media)
BY DAVE LINK
CHATTANOOGA – Bearden’s bid for a fourth consecutive state championship in Class AAA girls’ soccer came up short Saturday afternoon in a controversial penalty-kick shootout.
The Lady Bulldogs lost to Germantown Houston 4-2 in the PK shootout after the two teams played to a 1-1 tie after 80 minutes of regulation time and two 10-minute overtimes at host-site Boyd-Buchanan.
Houston senior goalkeeper Laila McNamee blocked two shots in the shootout, while Bearden senior goalie Drew Tolley appeared to block a shot in the fourth round of the shootout but was called for a penalty for stepping forward over the line in front of the goal.
Houston’s Hallie McBride, who had her shot blocked by Tolley, got to retake the shot and made it the second time, giving the Lady Mustangs a 4-2 lead instead of a 3-2 lead with Bearden getting a chance to tie in the fourth round.
Bearden coach Ryan Radcliffe said he’s never seen that foul called on a goalkeeper in a PK shootout during his 11 years as the head coach or his four years as a Bearden player.
“I’ll have to watch it,” Radcliffe said. “I think Drew’s pretty smart and knows as a goalie kind of what she has, and from my understanding, the rule is you just have to have one foot on the line, and it looked like to me she took a step forward and made the save, and the (official) said that both feet were off the line. I can’t make any judgements until I see it on film and see what was actually called.”
Tolley, who transferred from Johnson City Science Hill to Bearden last summer, questioned the call. She’s committed to play goalie for Sam Houston (Texas) State, which competes in Conference USA women’s soccer.
“I obviously don’t want to say I stepped forward because I don’t think I did,” Tolley said. “I thought I made a good save, but at the end of the day, it’s already been made. You can’t go back and change it.”
McBride’s second shot went past Tolley into the top left corner of the net for a 4-2 lead.
Bearden’s Emma Rainey then stepped to the line for her PK shot in the fourth round of the shootout.
McNamee made a diving block on Rainey’s shot and preserved the Lady Mustangs’ 4-2 lead, which was insurmountable in the five-round shootout.
McNamee, who’s undecided if she will play college soccer, was chosen MVP of the title match. She left the game briefly late in the second half after making a stop, apparently hurting her arm, but returned a couple of minutes later.
“I don’t think (a PK shootout is) a true representation of the game,” Radcliffe said. “It’s just a part of the game, so you can’t go out and think that you lost the game just because you lost in PKs. I thought it was a well-fought battle and we were just as deserving to be here as Houston is deserving to be here.
“It’s hard to accept, and (the players) will understand it soon, but we still made it to where we wanted to get to. To come up a little bit short in PKs, what more can you ask for as a coach.”
With the shootout tied 1-1, McNamee was Houston’s selection to shoot in the second round; the shootout was delayed while McNamee took her goalie gloves off and prepared to shoot.
After McNamee scored for a 2-1 lead, it was delayed again while she put her gloves back on.
And then came another delay – and some confusion – when McBride’s shot was blocked by Tolley, the call was made, and McBride shot again.
“It was a weird shootout,” Radcliffe said, “with the delays with the goalie putting her gloves back on, the delay with that (call) and letting her retake (the shot). I thought there was a lot of weird delays, and it seemed like every delay was when we were shooting, almost like to freeze our shooters. I don’t know. It was one of the stranger ones I’ve been in.”
Bearden finishes with a 20-1-2 record with a 3-0 loss to Houston on Aug. 17 in Murfreesboro. Bearden’s other tie was Aug. 16 by a 1-1 score against Briarcrest Christian, also in Murfreesboro.
Houston (22-0) won its 10th state championship in girls’ soccer and its first since 2018.
The Lady Mustangs lost to Bearden in the 2021 and ’22 state championship matches, both times by 3-1 scores.
“It’s hard because Bearden isn’t used to losing, and that’s OK,” Radcliffe said. “That’s the hard part of it. I think the message is just going to be simple, that we love (the players) and they’ve set a mark on this program and that’s not to go unnoticed.
“I hope they understand that, because Bearden soccer has set such a huge standard and winning it three years in a row and having an opportunity to win it four years in a row, your luck runs out sometime.”
Houston took a 1-0 lead in the 7th minute Saturday.
Isabella Drotar-Chester’s shot from about 10 yards got by Tolley. Senior forward Ellet Smith, a Vanderbilt commit, got the assist.
Bearden senior forward Halle Bibee scored in the 25th minute for a 1-1 tie, knocking a shot from about 20 yards past McNamee, who came out of the goalie box to make a play on a ball.
Junior forward Jayla Blue got the assist.
“My keeper (Tolley) started off with the ball,” said Blue, a Tennessee commit. “She had a punt and I was able to find it and get my head on it and flick it on to Halle Bibee, and she was able to have a great finish and stick with it.”
It was a goalie and defensive duel for the rest of the day.
Houston finished with 16 shots (five on goal), while Bearden had nine shots (five on goal).
The Lady Mustangs had seven corner kicks to Bearden’s four corner kicks.
“I definitely think we had the momentum the whole game,” Blue said, “but again, it was just two great teams going at it, and you can only do what you can do, and PKs, when it comes down to it, you just have to put it in the back of the net.”
Blue set Bearden’s single-season goals record this season with 45, breaking the previous record of 41 held by Brinley Murphy and Amy Porter.
Blue has 102 career goals at Bearden and is second behind Murphy’s 110 career goals. Murphy, a 2023 graduate, is playing for South Carolina.
“Well, I’m grateful for all the awards and everything,” Blue said, “but I have so much more behind all these records and everything and I’m just ready for next season. Now we have to push past this and do what we’ve got to do and break more records.”
Bearden has 13 seniors on the team.
“We have a strong group coming back,” Radcliffe said. “We’ll miss the seniors, miss them deeply, but we missed last year’s seniors too, and look where we are.
“I think it’s just the heritage and the culture of getting back here each year. Next July and August will be here before you know it, and I’m hopeful that the junior class that will be rising seniors will carry this on.”
Despite Saturday’s loss, Tolley will cherish the memories of her year at Bearden.
“It’s hard, yeah, but I’ve gained things greater than a trophy this season,” Tolley said. “I’ve gained a family, and I love every girl in that team, all 43 of us, and we all work for one, and I think that’s greater than anything I could hold up or keep in my room at night.”
5STAR PHOTOS — Bearden Lady Bulldogs soccer vs. Houston (2024 Class AAA State Championship)