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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

Another incredible girls soccer season has come and gone with plenty of incredible moments to show for it.

The Briarwood Christian Lions brought a state title home to Shelby County to become the winningest girls soccer program in state history with a dramatic run to the title. Indian Springs and Westminster OM joined them in Huntsville after standout seasons while Spain Park, Helena and Calera won area titles and Thompson broke through for its first playoff win since 2013.

Across each of those teams and others were standout players that made great plays to power each of those runs. That made it a tight race to make this season’s All-County Team for girls soccer.

This year’s squad collects the best of the best from each of the AHSAA soccer teams in Shelby County, which once again includes some of the top players in the state.

Here are this year’s selections for the All-County Team.

 

First Team

Forward: Kate Hendrix, junior, Helena. The All-Metro Second Team selection continued on her goal-scoring tear with 27 goals and seven assists in 24 matches, including eight of them during a blistering two-match stretch in area play.

Forward: Ashna Mehra, sophomore, Indian Springs. Mehra won the Shelby County Golden Boot with 45 goals and 15 assists in 20 matches as she powered Springs into the Class 5A Final Four and earned an All-Metro First Team selection.

Forward: Luna Montiel-Duenas, freshman, Thompson. Montiel-Duenas continued her rise as one of the top goal-scoring talents for the Warriors, ending her third season on varsity with 33 goals and 20 assists as Thompson made the second round. She was picked for the All-Metro B-Division Second Team.

Forward: Reese Oldfield, junior, Spain Park. Oldfield used her blistering speed on the wings to score goals and create loads of chances for the Jags. The Mississippi State commit had 38 goals and seven assists while making the All-State Team, All-Metro A-Division First Team and North-South All-Star Game.

Forward: Baileigh Rumage, junior, Helena. Rumage followed up an All-State campaign from 2024 by averaging nearly a goal and an assist per appearance with 26 goals and 20 assists in 24 matches. She also earned All-Metro B-Division First Team and North-South All-Star selections.

Forward: Addy Soehn, senior, Spain Park. Soehn was the engine that powered the Jags attack and earned 15 goals and 15 assists to make the All-State Team and All-Metro A-Division First Team.

Midfielder: Taylor Leib, senior, Briarwood Christian. The Shelby County Player of the Year hit 40 goals once again for the Lions as she finally accomplished her team’s goal of winning a state championship. The Clemson signee also won Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year and All-Metro A-Division Player of the Year and made the Super All-State First Team.

Midfielder: Morgan Anthony, junior, Spain Park. Anthony served as one of the top defensive midfielders in the county and made the All-Metro A-Division First Team while adding two goals and five assists on top of her defensive contributions.

Midfielder: Brooklyn Barnett, senior, Briarwood Christian. Barnett moved back to CDM this year to help the team but barely saw a dip in her goal-scoring contributions. She earned 15 goals and 14 assists while making the All-State Team and All-Metro A-Division Second Team.

Midfielder: Dia Montiel-Duenas, senior, Thompson. Montiel-Duenas capped her illustrious career with another standout offensive season as the Warriors’ chief playmaker. She scored 29 goals and added 25 assists while securing a spot on the Super All-State Second Team.

Midfielder: Kati Anne Shepherd, sophomore, Oak Mountain. Shepherd was easily the most valuable player on the Eagles as she made plays to drive the offense while she was on the pitch. The sophomore turned in another standout season with 25 goals, 16 assists and selections to the Super All-State Second Team and All-Metro A-Division First Team.

Midfielder: Caitlyn Yang, sophomore, Indian Springs. The All-Metro Second Team selection was a key part of the Springs attack thanks to her 30 goals and team-high 20 assists. She also had one of the biggest performances of the season with four goals and two assists against Elmore County in the quarterfinals.

Defender: Marley Brown, sophomore, Oak Mountain. Brown stood out as one of the top shutdown defenders on the ball in the entire region, and the defense allowed just 10 goals on her watch. Her contributions weren’t limited to that though as she earned 10 goals and seven assists to make the Super All-State Second Team and All-Metro A-Division First Team.

Defender: Kennedy Doyle, senior, Indian Springs. Doyle capped off her decorated career with another standout season on the backline, earning 12 shutouts including in the quarterfinals. She was also named a Co-Captain for the All-Metro B-Division First Team.

Defender: Saylor Eighmy, junior, Briarwood Christian. Eighmy stepped up as a leader for the defense and helped the Lions flip a switch down the stretch to allow just three goals during a season-ending eight-match win streak. The North-South All-Star also had two goals and an assist from the centerback spot.

Defender: Charli Gantt, sophomore, Thompson. Gantt was one of the top two-way defenders in the state, frequently locking down top attackers while racking up 23 goals and 20 assists for her own docket. As a result, she made the Super All-State Second Team and All-Metro A-Division Second Team as just a sophomore.

Defender: Laura Russell, junior, Chelsea. Russell had a breakout year thanks to her tenacious ability to track opposing attackers and negate dangerous plays. Her on-ball excellence netted her Super All-State First Team and All-Metro A-Division Second Team selections as well as a goal and an assist.

Defender: Gianna Thornton, senior, Spain Park. Thornton was a big playmaker from the backline as the All-Metro A-Division First Team selection and defensive captain netted five assists and two goals while overseeing 11 clean sheets and allowing just 20 goals.

Goalkeeper: Marley Barfield, sophomore, Pelham. While the Panthers struggled on the field in 2025, Barfield did her part to extend matches by racking up a county-high 95 saves and secured four clean sheets. Opposing coaches took notice and made her an All-Metro B-Division Second Team selection.

Goalkeeper: Lailie Parvin, senior, Westminster OM. As the lone senior on the Knights, Parvin provided crucial veteran leadership in her team’s Final Four run. She was also one of the top goalkeepers in the region and secured an All-Metro B-Division First Team spot for her success.

 

Second Team

Forward: Mae Caroline Cherry, freshman, Oak Mountain. Even as just a freshman, Cherry played a key role in the Eagles attack with seven goals and 15 assists in the 24 matches that she appeared in.
Forward: Reece Collier, senior, Calera. Collier was one of the most dynamic goal scorers in the county and was a key reason why the Eagles secured the Class 6A, Area 5 championship and reached the second round. She also picked up an All-Metro B-Division First Team selection.

Forward: Lacey Lambert, senior, Pelham. Lambert was limited to just 11 appearances before an injury ended her high school career, but the former North-South All-Star selection and future West Alabama signee scored seven goals and added five assists in a more direct role this season.

Forward: Taylor Matthews, sophomore, Briarwood Christian. Matthews continued her growth into one of the most exciting young attackers in the county as she earned 12 goals and nine assists in 20 appearances, including the game-tying goal in the state championship. The All-State pick also made both of her penalty kicks in the playoffs.

Forward: Zabdy Perez, junior, Montevallo. Not many scored goals in bunches better than Perez. Of her 18 goals, she finished with four hat tricks, including two in area play. She also earned 21 assists across her 21 appearances in her first season in Class 5A.

Forward: Vale Richie, junior, Westminster OM. Just like she has in the past two seasons, Richie powered the Knights attack with a team-high 25 goals while also earning nine assists. The Westminster striker also received All-State Team and All-Metro B-Division Second Team honors.

Midfielder: Elle Cherry, junior, Oak Mountain. Cherry helped Oak Mountain’s offense throughout the season with 12 goals and eight assists in 23 appearances. The junior is already committed to Covenant College.

Midfielder: Nathalie Gonzalez, sophomore, Thompson. Still just a sophomore, Gonzalez once again had a key role in the Warriors attack and came away with 11 goals and 18 assists from the midfield.

Midfielder: Natalie Peacock, junior, Chelsea. The Hornets captain made the All-State Team and All-Metro Second Team thanks to her 12 goals and four assists in 20 matches. She was also Chelsea’s main penalty kick taker and scored four of her 12 goals from the spot.

Midfielder: Ellie Rushing, freshman, Briarwood Christian. Rushing displayed skill in the midfield to start 20 of Briarwood’s 22 games as just a freshman. She earned five goals and five assists, and she converted penalty kicks in both of Briarwood’s playoff shootouts, including in the state title match.

Midfielder: Syndi Salazar, sophomore, Montevallo. Salazar played every minute for the Bulldogs in 2025 and was a key part of the team’s buildup. She finished with four goals and nine assists in 20 matches.

Midfielder: Mackenzie Varden, sophomore, Westminster OM. Varden made an impact as an underclassman for the Knights with 14 goals and five assists. She also finished with 15 tackles and 12 clearances on the year.

Defender: Yazmin Chavez, junior, Montevallo. Chavez was an essential part of the Bulldogs defense that had many spectacular showings, including 10 clean sheets on the year and a pair of valiant efforts to get to full time against Indian Springs. She earned three goals and three assists for the season.

Defender: Stella Dasilva, junior, Chelsea. Dasilva excelled as a two-way piece for the Hornets as her defensive skills were about as essential as her role in the attacking build-up. The All-Metro Second Team selection earned six goals and four assists across 20 appearances.

Defender: Addison Foxworth, junior, Helena. The All-Metro selection used her spot as a wingback to contribute to the attack, and she walked away with 10 goals and five assists, including the game-winning goal against Pell City.

Defender: Ava Morrison, sophomore, Westminster OM. Morrison was one of the top defenders in Class 4A as she secured 62 clearances and 17 tackles. She also earned two goals and an assist while making the All-State Team for Class 4A.

Defender: Claire Robinson, junior, Pelham. A true jack-of-all-trades, Robinson played all over the pitch for the Panthers, even in goal, and earned 12 goals and four assists. However, it was her defense that gave her an All-Metro B-Division First Team selection.

Defender: Guilia Wekesa, senior, Thompson. The Warriors captain helped hold down the back line as a veteran leader, and the Auburn-Montgomery signee secured eight goals and five assists on the season.

Goalkeeper: Morgan Pritchett, senior, Spain Park. Pritchett earned clean sheets in 11 of the 21 matches that she played, and she allowed just 20 goals on the season for a 0.95 goals-allowed average.

Goalkeeper: Madeleine Reilly, freshman, Oak Mountain. Having to step into goal as the starter for the first time as a freshman, Reilly held up admirably against Class 7A competition and allowed just 18 goals in 24 appearances for a 0.75 goals-allowed average. She earned 13 clean sheets in 2025.

 

Honorable Mention: Mallon Sigler, Briarwood Christian. Catherine Walker, Briarwood Christian. Brianna Collier, Calera. Jackie Martinez, Calera. Gabi Guillen, Chelsea. Madz Blumstein, Helena. Ava Garner, Helena. Faith Harrell, Oak Mountain. Natalie Bunch, Pelham. Anna McDonald, Pelham. Fatima Martinez, Montevallo. Aby Torres, Montevallo. Kaelyn Cardenas, Shelby County. Ellie Garcia, Shelby County. Isabella Grubbs, Shelby County. Addison Bayne, Spain Park. Mia Morgan, Thompson. Megan Townsend-Maynor, Thompson. Cameron Carter, Westminster OM. Miller Grace Waites, Westminster OM.