Scaring USA’s top Dawgs, Lady Ads changed strategy in district semis

BEARDEN — Changing strategy and playing the nation’s No. 1 high school girls team “straight up,” which was different from a “more defensive” approach that failed badly during a regular season encourter, Kristen Lyons’ Farragut Lady Admirals gave powerful and unbeaten rival Bearden quite a scare during a season-elimination District 4-AAA Tournament semifinal.

A header goal by the Lady Bulldogs’ all-time leading scorer, star senior forward Brinley Murphy, broke a 1-1 tie an allowed the Lady Bulldogs to keep their season alive with a 2-1 victory at Turner-Allender Field/Radcliffe-Kelly Soccer Complex Tuesday night, Oct. 11.

“In that short three or four weeks (since a 7-0 loss on the same field to BHS) we really had quite a few girls step up in specific positions,” said coach Lyons, whose No. 4 seeded FHS girls end their season with a 9-6-3 record. Bearden improved to a perfect 17-0-0 (see related story beginning on this page).

“And I changed our formation against them and played them straight up,” she added. “And I really just got the girls motivated to play.”

Annabelle Ekern, Farragut senior forward, scored the Lady Admirals goal, w hich tied the score 1-1 in the --- minute.