In the Class 6A championship game, Briarwood Christian outlasted Mountain Brook to deny the Spartans their second straight title.
The Lions (15-7-0) beat Mountain Brook 2-1, battling through two overtimes to finally take the win with a 4-1 margin in the shots-on-the-mark shootout.
Briarwood claimed its 10th state championship while avenging a 2-0 loss to Mountain Brook in the 2024 championship game. “We just talk about how we’ve got to play for the Lord, ,” Briarwood coach Ryan Leib says. “Whatever the results are, they are, and they just didn’t stop working and didn’t quit. It was a really special season.”
The Spartans (16-3-4) took a 1-0 lead in the finals rematch when Lilly Langston sliced the ball into the net at 7:16 in the opening period. The Lions tied the score 1-1 on a goal by sophomore forward Taylor Matthews with only 1:31 remaining in the second half.
The two teams clawed through two scoreless five-minute overtimes before settling the title match in a shootout.
While both goalies stood out during the hard-fought contest, Briarwood freshman keeper Catherine Walker rose to the top blocking two of the Spartans’ three shots. The Lions’ lineup of Saylor Eighmy,
Matthews, Ellie Rushing and senior midfielder Taylor Leib nailed their goals to seal the win. Olivia Malozzi made her goal for Mountain Brook, but Walker’s blocks on the other two tries sealed the state title.
Walker earned MVP honors after finishing regulation with seven saves, and counting the two in the shootout, she had nine overall. Mountain Brook senior Laine Minich had three saves during regulation.
“It’s hard to find something to complain about,” Mountain Brook coach Adam Johnson says. “You hope for the win, and it’s heartbreaking to lose, but 99 percent of the teams don’t get to play in a championship game. We performed well. We struck the ball well, but their goalie made some key saves. Give Briarwood credit.”
