Hendersonville girls soccer fights through injuries, clinches Mountain Foothills title

Small, but mighty.

That's how Hendersonville girls head soccer coach Kayla Fadden describes her team.

In a season full of injuries, the Bearcats have still kept their long conference unbeaten streak alive in the new Mountain Foothills 7.

"This season has been very different than most seasons," Fadden said. "I have a ton of talented players, but we've faced a lot of obstacles this season in injuries that we've never faced."

From broken bones and sprained ankles to concussions, the team has lost at least one player per game, according to senior defender Emma Otten.

"This has provided some serious obstacles that we have had to overcome by having some people stepping up to fill those roles," Otten said. "We've played many challenging teams inside and outside of our conference that have shown us which areas we need to work on to prepare for future games."

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Despite these setbacks, Fadden said the Bearcats have found strength in their unity. By combining their JV and varsity teams because of the injuries, the teams have been able to work as one. It's also spread the success across a larger group. Hendersonville has scored 63 goals in 17 matches — by 19 different players.

Sophomore midfielder Aubrie Retzback said she is getting better at passing the ball and giving her teammates opportunities, as well as connecting passes. She leads the team with nine assists.

For Otten, her strengths come as the team's central defender.

"I make sure the backline is organized and ready for whatever is coming our way," Otten said. "I provide the last line of defense in multiple situations during the game and the team relies on me for that."

Hendersonville came into the season without a conference loss since April 22, 2016, and Monday night's 6-2 win over Brevard pushed that streak to 54 to clinch another league championship. Fadden said this title justifies the unity the team has fostered over the season and give the team confidence moving forward into playoffs and future seasons.

Retzbach said she hopes a sixth consecutive conference title would bring more recognition for the team.

"I feel like it'd give our team a little more recognition than we're getting at school so far and it'd really show people that the Bearcat team, it's still good without the seniors we keep losing," Retzbach said. "The people coming up are still making the team great and we're going to continue to hold the legacy of being a good team."

For the rest of the season, both Retzbach and Otten are hoping for no more injuries. As her final high school season comes to a close, Otten said she is thankful for her team and the friendships she's made along the way.

"The environment and chemistry on this team is unlike any other," Otten said. "Each and every person on this team works very hard to carry their own weight in games and at practice. This team has meant more than anything to me and I can't wait to see where the rest of our season takes us."

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Hendersonville girls soccer conference win streak now at 54 games