Heroics in Huntsville: Briarwood takes home 6A girls state title in penalty kicks
Published 1:29 pm Saturday, May 10, 2025
The Briarwood Christian Lions clinched their 10th state championship in school history in dramatic fashion, winning 2-1 with a 4-1 advantage in penalty kicks over the Mountain Brook Spartans at John Hunt Park. (Reporter photos/Alec Etheredge)
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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer
HUNTSVILLE – With the final two minutes ticking off the clock and her team trailing 1-0 in the Class 6A State Championship on Saturday, May 10 at John Hunt Park, Taylor Mathews was determined that her Briarwood Lions weren’t going to fall for the second year in a row to the Mountain Brook Spartans.
With 1:31 remaining, teammate Brooklyn Barnett played the ball into the box on a cross that hit the foot of a Mountain Brook defender, ricocheted in the air and off the head of Mathews into the back of the net for the equalizer.
“I just saw the ball pop and I was there and I was like, ‘Let’s get it,'” Mathews said. “It’s just a huge relief. I’m so proud of this team. We’ve come so far, they did great.”
A game they had trailed since the eighth minute of the game, the Lions all of a sudden had new life, using that to spur a scoreless two overtimes and force penalty kicks for the state championship.
That’s when Briarwood head coach Ryan Leib took his team aside and told them was that what they were going into was just another shootout, and that they had practiced it a thousand times.
So when Saylor Eighmy, Mathews, Ellie Rushing, Taylor Leib and goalkeeper Catherine Walker stepped back onto the field, they knew it was business as usual.
Facing last year’s Most Valuable Player Lanie Minich in goal, Eighmy, Mathews and Rushing all knocked their shots into the back of the net, while Mountain Brook converted just one of its three attempts.
Walker’s efforts set up the chance at a championship-winning shot, and for the freshman, she stepped up in a moment most freshman could only dream of doing.
“It was amazing,” Walker said. “I’m glad I could help.”
Leib then came up to the line, and with her dad standing on the sideline watching, she struck the ball towards the left side of the net, out of the reach of Minich and ran towards Walker in open arms, both of them having just won their team the state title.
The Lions defeated the Spartans 2-1 in a 4-1 advantage on penalty kicks, capping off a revenge game after losing in heartbreak to Mountain Brook in last year’s final, but more importantly, notching their 10th state championship in school history.
“Scoring with two minutes left to tie it up, to send it to overtime is amazing,” said Ryan Leib, head coach of Briarwood Christian girls soccer. “These girls didn’t quit and kept fighting. That’s what we want to be about.”
The revenge game almost ended in heartbreak once again however, as the Spartans had a 1-0 lead for most of the game. On a set piece from just outside the 18-yard box on the left side, Langston Lilly lobbed the ball towards the top right corner of the net and past Walker to score in the eighth minute of action.
From then on, both teams went back and forth, with neither team getting many opportunities to score.
The Spartans headed into the half with all the momentum despite not having many open chances, and coming out of the break, went into a strategy of trying to extend the lead but also playing with a defensive mindset.
Mountain Brook did so successfully, but in the final stages of the contest, Briarwood gained energy, gaining heavy possession in their offensive half.
As the clock continued to tick down, the Lions tried to pull off the miracle, but their closest opportunity hit just off the crossbar and was kicked out of trouble, negating the chance near the end of regulation.
However, in the 79th minute, Briarwood was awarded a crucial corner kick. As the ball was booted into the box, it was kicked out towards the right side. Barnett then gained control, crossed it in and bouncing up off of Minich, Mathews got her head on it and put it in to be the hero and tie the contest up at 1-1.
The overtimes passed by with no winning goals, sending it to penalty kicks to decide the title. That’s when the Lions stepped up and showed what their practice had done for them.
Walker made the saves, leading to Taylor Leib’s decisive kick to win it and their teammates swarming them.
“It’s the best feeling,” Taylor Leib said. “Just how hard we’ve worked this season, how far we’ve come. It’s just so amazing to finally be able to say that we’re the winners and the champs.”
Walker shared the same sentiment on the season, knowing she could not have done what she did without her team’s encouragement and the work they put in all year long.
“We played great and we deserve it, we worked hard all season,” Walker said.
With the 10th state title in hand, Briarwood holds the most state titles in girls soccer history in the state of Alabama and head back the road on Interstate 65 on the mountaintop of Class 6A.
More importantly though, the win marks the end of the time for Ryan Leib to coach his daughter and this Briarwood team. It is a moment he knows he won’t forget after the way the last two seasons ended.
“It’s a pretty cool last game with my daughter,” Ryan Leib said. “Everything we do is a learning opportunity and last year was learning, two years ago was learning, to have gone and get it done this year is awesome.”
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