BY DAVE LINK
Bearden goalkeeper Logan Nelson has a routine before every soccer match.
He repeats a saying to himself.
He meditates for about 5 minutes.
He prays for about 5 minutes.
“Then I get my stuff on, fully set my mind right, and I just get out there and all the pressure goes away,” Nelson said.
Never has there been more pressure on Nelson than May 21-24 at the Class AAA state tournament in Murfreesboro.
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And never has Nelson been more in his zone than during that stretch run of his junior season, posting three shutouts in three games at state as Bearden (21-3-1) won its sixth title in program history and its first since 2019.
It was Nelson’s third year in goal for the Bulldogs at the state tournament.
“When I came down to the state tournament, I knew I had to be locked in every game,” said Nelson, the 5Star Preps Player of the Year. “I had experience from the past, from my freshman year playing Brentwood in the state championship and the next year, and all that experience helped me to keep my mind right and not lose myself there. I think that helped me out a whole bunch.”
Nelson shook off two tough losses at Spring Fling the previous two years and turned in the performance of a lifetime this year at Siegel Soccer Complex.
Last year, Nelson made three saves in a 1-0 state quarterfinal loss to Brentwood in a matchup of two nationally ranked teams; in 2022, when the Bulldogs advanced to the state final, Nelson gave up four goals with no saves in a 4-1 loss to Brentwood.
Redemption belonged to Nelson this year.
He made four saves in a 4-0 victory over Walker Valley in the state quarterfinals and made six saves in a 1-0 victory over Hendersonville in the semifinals.
Nelson capped it off with 12 saves against Ravenwood in the state championship, when the Bulldogs and Raptors played to a scoreless tie after 100 minutes of regulation play and two overtimes.
Bearden won the PK shootout 5-3 when Nelson made a save in the fourth round and drilled the winning PK shot past Ravenwood goalie Alan Biger.
“It’s a cool story for (Nelson) because the last time he was at the state championship was when he was a freshman playing against Brentwood,” Bearden coach Ryan Radcliffe said. “We started out and were pinning them on their heels and they came back and put goal after goal on us. I think Logan would tell you he could have saved one or two of those goals, but he was a freshman in a big atmosphere, so it was fitting for him to come back on that same stage and field and write a different script.”
Nelson, chosen MVP of the state championship, posted 13 shutouts and allowed 10 goals this year. He was the District 4-AAA Goalkeeper of the Year and earned All-Region 2-AAA honors.
“Logan’s biggest strength and one of his best assets is his ability to go get high balls for us, which is weird you’re saying that about a keeper that’s not above 6-foot tall,” Radcliffe said. “But his athleticism is out the roof. I’m sure the kid could dunk a basketball if he wanted to, and he’s probably, if not our top two, he’s our most athletic player on the team.
“He never drops the ball, he reads the game, and his biggest asset is his competitiveness and the confidence he has in himself. And when we went to the PKs (in the final), I said, ‘Logan, you got us here, are you going to go out and win it? He said, ‘Heck yes.’
“His biggest thing this year is he developed a leadership mentality as well.”
It never showed more than this postseason; in eight games, Nelson gave up two goals (both against Hardin Valley Academy) and had six shutouts.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a keeper with the mentality that he had in this postseason run to step up,” Radcliffe said. “It started when he made the PK save against Farragut. He had another PK save against Hardin Valley in the district championship.
“You look at some of those big games we had to get through, going up to D-B (for the sectional), I know specifically there were a couple of point-blank saves he made in the substate game, and all through the Hendersonville match and the Ravenwood match (at state).
“Our last four or five elimination games where in the past few years we relied on Lucas (Nordin, now playing at ETSU) to score goals, this year we relied on our back line and specifically Logan to get through those games.”
Nelson is playing for One Knox SC this summer after playing for FC Alliance in past years. His goalie coach is Knoxville’s John Taylor, and during high school season he’s coached by Bearden assistant Chris Mystrick.
Nelson stays in the best of shape.
“I eat healthy,” Nelson said. “That’s a big thing for me, is I stay in touch with my health. This new team I’m on (at One Knox), we practice every day, but then we have lifting days and track days. That keeps me in shape for a good amount. The way it’s run, it’s about as professional as it can get.”
And that bodes well for his senior season at Bearden.
“I’m pumped for it,” Nelson said. “Hopefully we can do something again.”