CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Gretchen Hammel didn't really know what to expect from her Grace Academy soccer team Tuesday afternoon.
The Lady Golden Eagles lost to Bradley Central in a playday over the weekend, and Hammel was fielding a half-dozen new players and a half-dozen on the field were playing with a pulled muscle of one kind or another.
It played into host Bradley's favor Tuesday, and the Bearettes pulled out a 3-0 victory.
"I knew they had some girls up front that could attack. Thankfully we were able to keep them in front of us," Bradley coach Chrissy McKinney said.
The game was tight until midway of the second period when Anna Stouffer scored an unassisted goal to give her team some breathing room and a 2-0 lead.
Bradley scored its initial goal just seven minutes in - by Reagan Harrod on an assist by Miranda Atkins.
The Bearettes added another off a corner kick with Cambree Mayo getting the score on an assist from Harrod.
McKinney was pleased with her defense, Stouffer included, and the coach pointed to the play of goalkeeper Nita Vaske, who finished with three saves in her first varsity outing.
"The way our defense played and our keeper's vision were spot-on," McKinney said. "Give credit to our keeper. This is her first shutout and she played really well."
Hammel isn't about to let a young team go south after one loss - and at that a loss that doesn't affect the Lady Golden Eagles in district play.
"We're young, definitely a work in progress," she said. "We're still learning each other. We were one step too late and we were just a step out of sync at times. And we have to get healthy. For me it's about putting people in the right places and getting everybody in sync."
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.