Rolling up the goals, BHS 3-0 hosting Invitational

In its most dominant Bearden Invitational effort, the host BHS Lady Bulldogs would roll past the Hendersonville Commandos Saturday evening, Sept. 4, that sported perfect conditions for soccer.

The 9-0 victory — with only a 20-minute second half — took place on day three of the Invitational, and was a “commanding” performance for Bearden, which ended the weekend 8-0-1.

Throughout the majority of the game, the maroon and silver of Bearden constantly flashed back and forth on their attacking end. Every touch of the ball became crisper and cleaner with every minute.

It didn’t take long for one of the Lady Bulldog seniors, Sarah Altshuler, to mark the first goal in a litany of efforts. Bearden would finish the first half with four more goals, giving them a comfortable lead into halftime. Brinley Murphy, Becca Roth and Alivia Scott combined to knock home the remaining four goals, with Murphy bagging two.

Hendersonville head coach Devin Woodard said her unit needed some more “discipline” and “attention to detail” when it came to controlling the game.

The shortened 20-minute second half comprised four more goals from Bearden in roughly five-minute intervals. The eighth goal of the match, scored by Murphy, gave her four on the night.

“Honestly, it was a better result than I thought because this was our third game,” she said. “I’m really proud of the team and how well we worked together today.”

“One of our pregame goals was to come out and focus on the final third and make sure we are putting some balls away,” said Ryan Radcliffe, Lady Bulldogs head coach “We had some good individual standouts. It helps when you have some of your nucleus stepping up and showing great things.”

When asked about his team’s depth, Radcliffe said “We’re probably two or three deep in each position, so that creates some competition for places and they know it. … I think that the competitive nature is what breeds the best, and I think that’s what you see on the field.”