As a result of some outstanding play at the Bearden Invitational Soccer Tournament, the Bearden soccer team finds itself with an even record.

The Bulldogs (3-3) played host to a number of schools looking to improve their status last weekend, and Bearden played competitively against some of the better soccer teams in Tennessee.

They defeated Gallatin High 3-2 and Arlington High 4-0 before falling to Christian Brothers 6-2. CBHS is one of the most successful high school soccer programs in the nation and attracts a lot of talent to its home in Memphis.

Bearden played a tough tournament and now looks to carry that strong play over to the remainder of the season, starting with Wednesday’s home game against District 4-AAA foe William Blount.

“Over the past week, we had really been working on proper defending one-on-one,” junior midfielder Ian Schomer said. “We utilized it well against Gallatin and Arlington, but we struggled with it against Christian Brothers.

“Now that we have that game under our belt, we will be better equipped when we play tougher teams like them.”

It never hurts to play difficult teams because of the experience gained and the opportunity to play against the best. The team feels that they are an all-around better team after their loss to Christian Brothers.

Another reason for their confidence is because of their practices. The team prides itself in having intense practices and brutal workouts.

“The coaches like to put us through a lot of hard running mixed with abdominal kind of stuff,” freshman defender Cole Hilton said. “As a result, we are able to outwork and outfight other teams because we are all in better condition.”

Speed, quickness, and endurance are among the team’s most prominent attributes, and these practices are the main contributor to these effects.

The practices do more than just make the players refined athletes, though. They actually help to bring the team closer together.

“As a team, going through all that terrible conditioning actually helps to bring us closer,” said sophomore Jameson Elmore, who is second on the team in scoring with 6 goals. “We need that compatibility to be most effective on the field.”