Finishing on top

Vestavia Hills went up to John Hunt Park for the state finals, and came away with convincing victories over Huntsville and Auburn to seal the Class 7A girls soccer championship on May 14.

“I knew everything we did over the year and everything we improved upon, if we just played the way we had been, there was no other option for us but to win,” head coach Brigid Littleton said.

The Lady Rebels were so ready for the stage, that it made them nervous how calm they were before the title match against Auburn, a team they lost to early in the season by a single goal, but were without three key players. 

Auburn never got anything going in the game, and Vestavia ran away with a 3-0 victory, getting goals from Sophia Kamburis, Sara McCurry and Alli Glaze.

“The girls are beyond excited about the win,” Littleton said. “It’s still kind of sinking in and they’re still all smiles and excited about it.”

In the semifinal game, the Lady Rebels jumped on Huntsville early, with three goals in the first half. They added on two in the second half and took a 5-1 victory, as Kamburis put two in the back of the net. Kennedy Hicks, Glaze, and Faith Hauberg also scored goals.

“They didn’t have many opportunities on goal and our defense was impeccable the whole time,” Littleton said.

Littleton felt the biggest win occurred before her team even reached the state tournament, as her team’s game against Oak Mountain in the quarterfinals pitted arguably the two best teams in the state against each other. The Lady Rebels came out on top with a narrow 3-2 win.

“I felt like that was the state championship game right there because once we got out of Birmingham, I just kind of felt we were unstoppable,” she said.

The depth of the Lady Rebels was a key all season, as they mixed and matched lineups throughout the year. There was no set starting lineup, but everyone was on board.

“The whole season was absolutely a team effort,” Littleton said. “The team was happy for whoever was playing in that there wasn’t any complaining. Everyone supported whoever was playing at that time.”

Vestavia finished the season with a 24-2 record, and finished the season No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps’ High School Girls Soccer Rankings. The Lady Rebels avenged their only two losses of the season in the playoffs, against Auburn and Oak Mountain.

The Lady Rebels allowed just 13 goals all season, while scoring 73 goals. Hicks led the team with 16 goals, while Taylor Korn and Kamburis also reached double digits, with 10 goals each.

Goalie Lauren Roussell surrendered 11 goals overall, and pitched 14 shutouts, including seven consecutive in the middle of the season. Korn led the team with eight assists, followed closely by Caroline Causey with seven.

Littleton made sure to thank the parents for their support throughout the season, and the culture within the program that they have helped create. 

“The parents were overly positive,” she said. “Perfect season.”