Lady Ads, Hawks bow out of district tourney
Last Tuesday, Oct. 13, Burkhart saw that and plenty more from her Farragut girls soccer team, whose 2026 season drew to a close in a 3-2 loss to Bearden in the district semifinals.
With the result, Farragut’s final record this season stands at 10-5-1.
Ada Becker put the Lady Admirals on the board with 12 minutes left in the first half, but Landree Horner matched for Bearden with an equalizer.
Later on, with Farragut down 2-1, Oliveah Love tied the score with a shot right in front of the Farragut student section.
But Bearden freshman Avery Stevens came through with the winner 17 minutes later, pushing the Lady Bulldogs on to the district championship.
“The two goals we got were effort and heart,” Burkhart said. “We didn’t give up on balls, and that’s what you saw. You saw a senior not give up on a ball and put it in the back of the net, then a freshman not give up on a ball and put it in the back of the net. I think that’s so fitting for who we are.”
After beating West 3-1 in the district title match last week, Bearden moved on to the region semifinals this week against Knox Central.
Meanwhile, Farragut’s season draws to a close, as does Hardin Valley’s since the Lady Hawks lost to West last Tuesday, too.
Burkhart noted her pride in the Lady Admirals’ performance against the Soccer Dawgs and for the season as a whole, too.
“I honestly could not be more proud of the effort they’ve shown and the heart they have played with,” she said. “They took it to them every step of the way, and that’s all we ask. You have to be proud of what they left on the field and they made every one of us proud.”
HVA assistant Mandy Marshall echoed similar thoughts on their result.
“Obviously wasn’t the ending we had hoped for but we’re really proud of the girls and how hard they’ve fought all year,” she said. “This year was probably one of the toughest schedules we had, so coming away with winning record shows how hard the girls worked this year. Even the games we lost the girls
were always in it. Always competing. I think that’s a testament to our senior leadership and how driven they were to succeed.”
Marshall added it is “especially tough” to lose this group of seniors, but she and head coach Dannielle Wilson are eager to see what comes for the group that’s retuning.
The same is true for FHS, which is losing eight seniors from this year’s squad.
“I think the leadership this senior group has had — and it’s not just on the soccer field,” Burkhart said. “It’s the character they show off it. We have great competitors, but they are a team-first group. They truly embody what it means to be good teammates and good people. I could not have asked for a better senior group to lead this program.”
“I told them you can be proud of what it is, but ultimately, it’s a loss. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but if you don’t like it, you have to do something about it. If you don’t want your season to end right here, we have to figure out how to come back bigger, better and stronger.”
