By Rubin E. Grant
Melissa Minich wasn’t sure she wanted her daughter Laine to follow in her footsteps as a soccer goalkeeper.
Melissa Minich was a goalkeeper in college at Kentucky and Missouri after a standout high school career in the St. Louis area. It wasn’t a surprise when her daughter Laine Minich began playing soccer when she was only four.
When she started playing competitively, she was a center back and forward. “I was always one of the tallest on any team I played for growing up, so it kind of made sense,” says Laine, who is now a 5-foot-9 senior at Mountain Brook High School.
In the fifth grade, Laine transitioned to playing goalkeeper, something her mother initially didn’t think was a good idea. “When she started playing with BUSA (Birmingham United Soccer Association), they saw her tendencies and that she was defensive minded,” Melissa says. “They asked if she would like to try out for goalkeeper. My first reaction was, ‘Oh, no!’, just because when I was growing up, I was always one of the tallest. I was 5-7 in the fourth or fifth grade and wound up in goal.”
Melissa warmed to the idea after she saw the kind of training goalkeepers at BUSA received from Jeremy Hampton, who was then the club’s director of goalkeeping and is now an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic University. “I watched them train her, and they were doing things I didn’t learn until I was at Kentucky,” Melissa says. “It didn’t just deal with having good feet and good hands, but also other techniques.”
Since then, Laine has received tutelage from former Mountain Brook All-State goalkeeper Sarah Francis Adair and former Ole Miss goalkeeper Ashley Orkus, who now plays for Tampa Bay Sun FC. “She’s been blessed to be surrounded by some incredible talent,” Melissa says. “She has made it work.”
Of course, Laine gives her mom some of the credit. “My goalkeeping instincts came from my mother,” she says.
The time Laine Minich spent developing her craft paid big dividends for the Spartans during the 2024 Class 6A state tournament. Minich recorded six saves in the semifinals and finals and was named MVP as Mountain Brook captured the Class 6A title, defeating Briarwood Christian 2-0 in the championship game.
The Spartans scored 22 goals and gave up none in four playoff games. In her career, Laine has 21 clean sheets, including seven this season, and has allowed only 44 goals in four years on the varsity, including just five so far this season. She has 218 career saves, 23 this season.
“She’s a tremendous player,” Mountain Brook girls soccer coach Adam Johnson says. “Her work ethic is the best of the best. She has had a record-setting career. She’s stays focused on who she is as a player, has great character and is the definition of ‘team first’ mentality.
Johnson continues, “What makes her so talented as a goalkeeper is her level of composure and poise while playing a high pressure position. She has a way of knowing what’s going on his front of her and has laser-like focus in intense moments. She’s the perfect goalkeeper and perfect team captain.”
Laine allowed only eight goals during the 2024 season—four coming in play, three on penalty kicks and one on a free kick—culminating with the state title.
“Winning the state championship last year was the pinnacle of my MBHS soccer career so far,” Laine says. “It was such an honor to be named the MVP. I was incredibly surprised, knowing any of my other teammates could have also received that award.”
Laine knows her success in goal is depends on her teammates, especially the defenders.
“I think what makes me an effective goalkeeper is my ability to communicate to my back line and midfield,” she says. “I was very fortunate to learn the importance of communication from fabulous coaches and players that I look up to.”
Earlier this season in a game against Woodlawn, Laine left the net, so she could score her first high school goal. She passed on the opportunity the first three times, passing the ball to teammates who had never scored to allow them to score before finally scoring herself. “When Coach Johnson allowed me to play the field against Woodlawn, I honestly was so excited,” she says. “Scoring a high school goal has always been on the soccer bucket list. It is a feeling you’ll never forget.”
Laine loves the team aspect of her sport. “What I love most about soccer is that it is always becoming more competitive,” she says. “It’s such a team sport, and it truly takes all 11 players to get the job done. Soccer allows for so much creativity and talent to shine which gives everyone the opportunity to make a name for themselves.”
Laine isn’t the only Minich playing varsity athletics for the Spartans—her younger sister Morgan is a freshman on the softball team.
Laine is headed to Louisiana Lafayette to play in college. “The campus of Louisiana Lafayette felt like home,” she says. “It was the perfect size for me. The team feels like a family. I think a lot of UL’s culture that is created by the head coach, Chris McBride. He does an amazing job, not only growing you as a player but pushing players to their limits to be the best person.
Laine plans to study medicine, specifically a route in ophthalmology.
Melissa is thrilled her daughter will get a chance to play in college. “I’m proud of her because she has worked so hard,” Melissa says. “She’s blessed to have this opportunity and I’m very excited she does. It’s really incredible.”
But first Laine Minich wants to end her high school career with a flourish. “Senior year so far has been more emotional than I expected,” she says. “It comes with a lot of ‘last-first’ moments. Every game has been a little bit more important to me than the last. When I was a freshman, I once had a senior tell me to ‘enjoy the small moments.’ I didn’t quite understand what that meant until this year. Being a senior has taught me the value of leadership and team chemistry.”
The Spartans hope to successfully defend their 2024 state title. The 2025 playoffs begin April 22nd, and the state tournament is scheduled for May 7-10 in Huntsville.
Mountain Brook entered spring break with a 7-2-2 record, ranked third in Class 6A and seventh in the Super Poll in the Alabama High School Coaches’ Poll. “I think we are capable and a strong candidate to make another run at the title,” Laine says.
