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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

Another girls soccer season is upon us, and with the season starting on Thursday, Feb. 6, all eyes will be on the 12 AHSAA teams that call Shelby County home to see if they will live up to the lofty standards set by previous years’ teams.

Just like in years past, some of the best and brightest stars in all of Alabama belong to the area’s powerhouses, and with seven of the 12 teams in the county ranked in the top 10 of their respective classification’s preseason coaches poll on Eurosport Scorbord, all eyes are on Shelby County to see if the best will lift a blue map in Huntsville this May.

Here is a look at the biggest storylines for each local team ahead of the start of the 2025 season.

Oak Mountain: Which young players will step up?

2024 Record: 17-6-3 (4-2 Class 7A, Area 6), area runner-up, reached first round

Preseason Ranking: No. 3 (Class 7A)

The Oak Mountain Eagles will look very different this year than last. Much of that has to do with mainstays like Avery Smith, Reagan Whitaker and Ella Holt graduating, leaving holes within the starting 11 from last year’s team which posted a great regular season record but finished second in the area and ran into a buzz saw in state runner-up Hoover in the first round.

Now, there’s just one senior on coach Chris Blight’s squad in defender Madison Dunnaway, meaning a lot of players will need to step up in every position group. Luckily for him, he says that the young players have a strong work ethic and a drive to improve each and every day, traits that will help them as the season progresses.

While Oak Mountain had a rock-solid defense and midfield last season, the Eagles failed to convert many of their chances into goals in the final third. In addition, the team will be without its veteran No. 9 in Whitaker, meaning more of the burden will fall to players like Kati Anne Shepherd, who electrified the offense last year with inspired runs and great ideas while attacking.

Lots of attention will be given to the new offensive players to see if they will step up as well as how Aaron Pretner leads the back line in Smith’s stead and if freshman netminders Madeleine Reilly and Caeleigh Parks can seize the starting job and hold down the net.

However, this is a program that regularly reloads and returns to the state’s biggest stage. Their No. 3 preseason ranking is only proof that opposing coaches agree. The road ahead for them through area play will be difficult, but if they develop well, they can challenge Alabama’s best.

Thompson: Is this the year?

2024 Record: 15-6-2 (3-3 Class 7A, Area 5)

Preseason Ranking: N/A

It feels like the Thompson Warriors have built towards this moment for years now. Longtime leaders like Dia Montiel-Duenas, Mia Morgan, Guilia Wekesa and Jayna Chakua are now senior captains and anchor a strong returning squad. It was almost enough to break through into the playoffs last season, but a loss to eventual state runner-up Hoover on the last day of area play condemned the Warriors to sit out in a crowded Class 7A, Area 5.

Now, both playoff teams from Area 5 have shifted over to Area 6 and left Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and Prattville to join Thompson and Tuscaloosa County in a new-look area. It’s a change that has motivated players like Wekesa to work hard and take advantage of their last year in Alabaster to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

The biggest question will be to fill a defense that lost plenty of key veterans last season. Coach Dan DeMasters has eight defenders battling for four spots, including Alaina Simpson, Carlie Mills and even natural-CDM Wekesa alongside the returning Morgan.

Tactically, the Warriors will be quite different in their formation despite returning their starting goalkeeper and their entire attack and midfield. Expect that change to help enable Montiel-Duenas and Chakua to shine even more on the field alongside star ECNL-level players like Luna Montiel-Duenas, Charli Gantt and Nathalie Gonzalez, all of whom are still underclassmen and will be the future of Thompson girls soccer.

This year sees the present and future of the Warriors converge on one squad though, and that has them dreaming big. Look for Thompson to be a favorite to return to the postseason while building a bright future for years to come.

Briarwood Christian: Can the Lions finish the job?

2024 Record: 15-5-4 (6-0 Class 6A, Area 8), area champions, state runner-up

Preseason Ranking: No. 2 (Class 6A)

The 2024 season ended in heartbreak for the Briarwood Christian Lions. After tearing apart Class 6A on the road to the state finals, they came out on the losing end of a clash of the titans with Mountain Brook.

It’s the second-straight season that coach Ryan Leib’s team has fallen short in Huntsville after dropping a penalty shootout in the 2023 Final Four and then losing in the state championship in 2024. However, they’ve come a long way since missing the playoffs entirely in 2022, and now, the seniors are motivated to complete that turnaround by winning a state championship.

It’s hard to bet against the Lions this season, especially with their dynamic offensive duo of Taylor Leib and Brooklyn Barnett returning. A Clemson commit, Leib earned the Shelby County Golden Boot with 42 goals while making the Super All-State First Team, and Barnett helped create a significant number of those with 13 assists to go with her 20 goals in 2024. The pair have been friends before elementary school, and they look to use that chemistry to cap off their high school careers as state champions.

They’re just two of the nine returning starters for Briarwood, including rising sophomore Mallon Sigler, who started every match as a freshman in 2024, Taylor Matthews and both goalkeepers. Saylor and Zoey Eighmy will step into bigger roles on the defense, the former as the new defensive leader in place of Erin Gilbert, and upperclassmen like them will lead young players like freshman newcomer Ellie Rushing in showing them the Briarwood way.

Even though the Lions are confident in their abilities, they have kept working to improve, be consistently and most importantly, make sure they don’t lose in May.

Calera: Will the veterans lead one last playoff run?

2024 Record: 9-9-2 (2-2 Class 6A, Area 5), reached first round

Preseason Ranking: N/A

After bowing out in the playoffs last season on the road at Northridge for the second-straight season, this time in the first round, the Calera Eagles are looking to make a return to the postseason and stick around a little longer.

This year’s team under coach Katherine Guzman is a very veteran-heavy team as evidenced by the eight seniors on the team sheet. That includes seniors at three of the four positions including Brianna and Reece Collier, defenders Emily Kayton, Ellie Sansom and Destyni Grays and midfielders Jackie Martinez. After last year’s playoff exit, they should be motivated to make the most of their final seasons and get out of the area once again by defeating Benjamin Russell and Chilton County.

That doesn’t mean that the team is entirely comprised of upperclassmen though. Multiple underclassmen will be called upon in key roles, none bigger than freshman Addison Hicks, the team’s lone goalkeeper. She and the other younger players will need to get into top form quickly as the pre-area schedule features plenty of heavy hitters including Class 7A Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, county foes Pelham and Indian Springs and then a rematch with Northridge to close the Lakeshore Shootout.

However, the Eagles will obviously look to be in form for their four area games spread throughout the season, including a key stretch towards the end of the season when they will travel to Chilton County on Friday, April 4 before hosting Benjamin Russell on Friday, April 11, a match that helped determined the area champion last year. As with any team, if this veteran squad can come together late, they could just have another playoff trip in them.

Chelsea: Will a new classification yield new success?

2024 Record: 7-9-3 (1-5 Class 7A, Area 6)

Preseason Ranking: No. 10 (Class 6A)

The Chelsea Hornets have had about as rough of a draw as anyone as they faced Oak Mountain, Spain Park and Hewitt-Trussville in area play for the last two years in Class 7A. While it doesn’t get any easier with a Class 6A runner-up in Briarwood and the one-time No. 1 team in the nation in Spain Park in Class 6A, Area 8, the Hornets hope to bring the lessons from the past two seasons into a year where they hope to capitalize on their potential.

With eight starters and four seniors back in a similar formation to last season, coach Allison Gooch’s squad isn’t starting from scratch in 2025. They’ll need to replace a pair of All-County defenders in Ellen McKinney and Isabelle Willis, but Mackenzie McCleary will step into their leadership roles as a senior centerback while having a reliable rock in senior Payton Walker behind her in net, who has the reflexes, coordination and strong voice to be a great keeper.

Their goal this season is to play simpler in the back and build from there into a midfield and attack which includes key returners like Stella Dasilva, Ava Lovingood and Abby Harris to hopefully put some more shots on target and turn them into goals.

Gooch firmly believes that this team has the tools to be successful, but now it’s about proving it against the other Area 8 teams and making a return to the postseason.

Helena: How will the Huskies’ young players fill their starting spots?

2024 Record: 15-9 (4-2 Class 6A, Area 8), area runner-up, reached second round

Preseason Ranking: No. 8 (Class 6A)

There is a lot of newness surrounding the Helena Huskies in 2025, not least of which because of the 11 seniors from 2024 who are no longer with the squad, including All-County picks Ashlynn Beery and Miah Rosener. However, that also extends to their area, which trades Pelham, Indian Springs and Briarwood for Bessemer City, Hueytown and McAdory, the latter of whom they beat on the road in the first round last year.

While that should mean it’s an easier road to get to the state playoffs, Area 9 will still match up with Area 8 right out of the gate in the first round, meaning the Huskies will still need to be on their A-game to make it through the treacherous northern region of Class 6A.

By contrast to last year’s squad, coach Clif Naron’s side has no seniors in 2025. While a massive youth movement would be a struggle for most teams, many of Helena’s young players featured heavily last season, including some of their top attackers in Baileigh Rumage, Kate Hendrix and Ashlyn Northrup.

Expect them to feature heavily in a possession-based attack alongside bright rising stars like freshmen Carson Copeland and Kyndall Payton, sophomores Adyson Shelton and Saylor Peterson and eighth grader Hannah Brunson, who follows in Copeland’s footsteps as this year’s middle school player who could start reaching her high ceiling before long.

From top to bottom though, it’s a squad with a high soccer IQ and strong chemistry, two things that will help them plan and execute game plans against the state’s best and live up to their lofty preseason expectations. 

Pelham: Can Ashcraft carry Pelham’s boys soccer success to girls?

2024 Record: 10-8-2 (0-6 Class 6A, Area 8)

Preseason Ranking: N/A

After years of success in boys soccer, the Pelham Panthers hope to correct their recent dry spell in the girls game. That starts with a leader from the boys staff as Shane Ashcraft takes over as the head coach. So far, he says the girls have responded well to the changes and are learning a lot while building their communication and chemistry, two things that will help the team play better as a whole.

With that said, it’s not as if the Panthers will be building from scratch. They return one of the best midfielders in the senior class in Lacey Lambert, who is fresh off a North-South All-Star Game appearance and another All-County season in 2024 as well as her signing with West Alabama, and a key attacker in Angie Lopez. Both will play a key part in the attack as Lambert takes on a new role that pushes her forward more often.

After years of playing off the counterattack, Pelham’s goal is to be more possession-oriented this year with a dash of traps and presses to create their chances that way rather than having chances come to them. That tactical change should allow for players like Anna McDonald, Angie Lopez and Claire Robinson to utilize their respective skillsets and open opportunities for younger players like Natalie Bunch, Janelle Ramos and middle-schooler Paisley Shanahan to break into the squad in a bigger way.

While much of the focus frequently shifts to the teams around them, particularly Briarwood, Chelsea and Spain Park in a brutal Class 6A, Area 8, the Panthers hope that working on themselves allows them to come together as a unit, enhance their strengths and maybe even make some noise to start a new era.

Spain Park: Can the Jags finish the season strong?

2024 Record: 21-1 (6-0 Class 7A, Area 6), area champions, reached first round

Preseason Ranking: No. 4 (Class 6A)

The Spain Park Jaguars were a nearly-unstoppable wrecking ball in the 2024 regular season. At one point, they were the No. 1 team in the country according to MaxPreps as they defeated all comers en route to a perfect 21-0 regular season.

However, it all came to a crashing halt in the first round when Vestavia Hills beat them in a penalty shootout on their own home pitch.

With seven starters back from last season, it’s all about building off last year’s experiences to gain chemistry in pursuit of their same goal of a state title. Even though they’re missing stars like reigning Shelby County Player of the Year Tatum Ahlemeyer, the offense is still as strong as any throughout the state. Addie Soehn, Reece Oldfield, Morgan Anthony and Tori Flournoy electrified the Jags attack last year and should have even more chances to shine this season. They lead returners in each of the four positions, including senior keeper Morgan Anthony and senior defender Alex Langan.

If the Jags have one question this year, it’s depth. Spain Park already doesn’t have a JV team, but many of the depth pieces are very young, including three eighth graders in Libby Gray, Priscilla Thornton and Olivia Garner. Players like Soehn see a lot of skill in the freshmen and middle schoolers, so it’s all about giving them the confidence to reach their potential like older players did for this year’s seniors. However, those pieces will need to develop quickly if injuries arise and the team sheet starts thinning out.

Now, with the drop down to 6A making the road to state even longer, Spain Park’s seniors hope to go out the same way they started as freshmen: on top.

Indian Springs: Can Ashna Mehra follow up on her freshman campaign?

2024 Record: 12-7 (2-4 Class 6A, Area 8)

Preseason Ranking: No. 5 (Class 5A)

Indian Springs brought the fight to the best in Class 6A last season, and while they came up just short on the final day of area play against Helena, coach Justin Pino’s side has a new lease on life as it heads down to Class 5A, a place they left as champions in 2022.

However, that was with one of the best goal scorers in county history in Norah Roller. Entering last season, one of the biggest questions of any team in Shelby County was who would step up in her absence. Enter Ashna Mehra. As just a freshman last year, she racked up 21 goals and eight assists against some of the top teams in Class 6A and earned All-Metro and All-County First Team honors as a result.

All eyes will be on Mehra to see if she follows up on her successful 2024 campaign. She’ll need to step up even more as Addison Doyle is no longer alongside her as even though Doyle was a defender by trade, she nearly matched Mehra’s goal total with 19 goals in 2024. It will also be interesting to see if the change in area leads to any more success for Mehra and the offense as they will no longer face backlines like Briarwood, Helena and Pelham and will instead be largely favored against Montevallo, Northside, Shelby County and Sipsey Valley.

The burden won’t only be on her shoulders thanks to the seven upperclassmen on the roster, including seniors Kennedy Doyle, Phoebe Evans, Paula Kube and Cadence Daniel. If Springs can carry over some of its success from last season and grow into an even more complete team, they will be a force to be reckoned with in Class 5A.

Montevallo: Can a new defense lead to continued success?

2024 Record: 10-7-2 (2-2 Class 4A, Area 3), area runner-up, reached first round

Preseason Ranking: N/A

The biggest story surrounding each Montevallo program is whether it can adapt to a new environment in Class 5A. While the school as a whole has seen mixed results, the Bulldogs should be poised to continue their strong recent run in girls soccer under Rylee Holt.

Montevallo has seven starters back from last year’s playoff side, including senior midfielder Fatima Martinez, junior attacker Zabdy Perez and a pair of strong sophomores in Mallory Diaz and Jaena Carillo. All of them played key parts in their 2024 success, but Carillo in particular had a breakout season, scoring 17 goals to rank among the county’s best goal scorers as just a freshman.

While the attack is largely intact, the Bulldogs have multiple holes to fill on the defensive line. Holt understands how crucial a strong defense is because the successful teams of the past knew how to make up for mistakes and had great communication that she described as almost telepathic. Now, they’ll need to be more vocal communicators with some of those pieces gone. Expect Yasmin Chavez to move over to centerback and anchor the back line as a senior leader.

Even with those new defenders, Montevallo’s players still have loads of chemistry dating back to their time in youth ball and a positive energy that only fuels that strong bond. Those traits could go a long way in ensuring that the Bulldogs carry their postseason pedigree into Class 5A.

Shelby County: Will the Wildcats get in the win column?

2024 Record: 0-14 (0-8 Class 5A, Area 4)

Preseason Ranking: N/A

The Shelby County Wildcats are entering a new era with Matt Martindale at the helm, and he will try and help the girls soccer program do something that it hasn’t done since 2022: win. The Wildcats are winless since March 23, 2022, but with a record turnout of 20 players, there’s hope that this might be the year that things start turning around.

Expect Shelby County to field a more defensive 4-5-1 lineup to help fortify their back line against some of the more talented front lines that Class 5A has to offer. Juniors Hazel Flores and Isabella Grubbs will be key members of that central attack as the Wildcats skew very young with just one senior: Stephany Santos. Their biggest goal will be developing their young players to become something special in the years to come.

Martindale knows that the team has an uphill climb against powerhouses like Indian Springs and Montevallo, but he believes that if the players keep improving throughout the season, they can see improvements by the time area foes like Northside and Sipsey Valley roll around and not just be competitive but maybe even secure an elusive victory.

Westminster OM: Can the Knights return to Huntsville?

2024 Record: 9-7 (6-0 Class 1A-3A, Area 5), area champions, reached quarterfinals

Preseason Ranking: No. 4 (Class 4A)

After making it to the mountaintop in 2023 by winning the state title, the Westminster School at Oak Mountain Knights couldn’t quite make it back there in 2024, losing in the quarterfinals on their home pitch. However, coach Joe Randal sees the result not as a setback but as a growth opportunity for a team that was talented but not quite ready for primetime.

This year though, many of those concerns have vanished, and the Knights are motivated to right last season’s wrongs.

Even with nine starters back from last year’s team, Westminster has just one senior in veteran goalkeeper Lailie Parvin, a North-South All-Star who surrendered just 17 goals in 2024. One thing that has helped the young squad get closer is the time they spend together on the pitch in school or club ball and off of it in a small-school environment. That makes it easy for the players throughout the squad to build bonds that they rely on throughout the season.

Their bond is most manifested in the defense, which is back in its entirety led by Ava Morrison alongside junior Miller Grace Waites and freshman Mackenzie Varden. The trust and communication that the Knights have with their back line makes it easier for the offense to go and score goals, a scary proposition for opponents going against one of the region’s best strikers in junior Vale Richie, already a two-time All-County selection and the 2023 state championship MVP.

However, much of that past success came at Class 1A-3A, and the Knights have moved up to Class 4A this year. Despite that massive change, players like Richie are confident that they have what it takes to remain competitive in a larger classification, and it’s now down to her and her fellow upperclassmen to help the younger players gain a similar confidence in their abilities.