‘Twin towers’ form elite back line for Rebels

Some losses are harder to swallow than others. The Vestavia Hills girls soccer team knows that better than anyone.

The Rebels were ranked No. 3 in Class 7A in the final ranking of 2015, and had high hopes of a deep playoff run. They knocked off Thompson 4-1 to set up a clash with No. 1 Oak Mountain. 

The teams played to a 1-1 tie in regulation, and overtime periods were not enough to break the stalemate. Thus, penalty kicks came into play. Five rounds is the standard for PKs, and after that, each round becomes a sudden-death proposition.

Oak Mountain would win the shootout 10-9 in 13 rounds and go on to win the first 7A championship, as the AHSAA added the classification before the 2014-15 school year.

The Rebels are attempting to put that loss in the rearview mirror, and move forward with a successful 2016 run.

“We had a few issues at the beginning of the year with some injuries,” head coach Brigid Littleton said. “You want to see your team improve throughout the year.”

One way to measure that success is the Rebels first crack at Oak Mountain since that playoff marathon. The two teams dueled at Oak Mountain on April 4, with the Rebels picking up a big 2-1 win.

Littleton has three team captains that she will lean on, in Lindsay Copeland, Abigail Albritton, and Kennedy Hicks.

Littleton said of them, “They’re amazing. They’re our team captains. They’re all leaders on and off the field, and I think that’s most important. They’re also respected by their teammates because of the effort they put in practice and the dedication they have to the team, not just to themselves.”

Copeland and Albritton form a dominant back line for the team, acting as a wall for opposing offenses to break through, usually with limited success.

“They’re like twin towers. They’re both very vocal in the back. I would say the difference is their tone. Copeland is going to tell you straight how it is, and Abby might be a little nicer, but she’ll tell you too. They’re very fluid on the field,” Littleton said.

“Everybody hates playing against her,” Littleton said of Copeland. “She is very skilled on the ball, which is very beneficial.”

That back line also cannot be spoken of without mentioning Lauren Roussell’s name in goal, and Julia Freeman’s alongside Copeland and Albritton.

A player that has come on strong is forward Kennedy Hicks, as a playmaker and possibly the fastest player on the Vestavia team.

“Kennedy has gotten so much better over the years. She was very undervalued and underestimated at the beginning of the season, and now people are starting to mark her more, which is good that they’re starting to notice,” Littleton said.

One of the ingredients that will set the Rebels up for success this season is the team chemistry.

“We’re a very close group. If you have the good team dynamic off the field, and you can get along and mess around, but when you get on the field and you’re still that close, it’s much easier to play with each other,” Albritton said.

It’s also a benefit to go up against the top teams in the state on a regular basis, with teams like Oak Mountain and Hoover always being among the top-class teams in Alabama.

“So when we go up against all those different good players, it strengthens us. So we’re able to take what we’ve learned against other teams to take it to other teams and beat them,” Hicks said.

Each Rebel has a “why.” The “why” is the individual’s reason for playing the game of soccer as a part of the Vestavia Hills soccer program. When all of those are combined, the team shows and flourishes.

“We play our best when we all want it. We go out on the field. At practice, everybody works really hard to get prepared for the games. Our want to win and our want to be competitive helps us in the game,” Copeland said.

But more important than the pursuit of a blue trophy is what Littleton instills in the student-athletes throughout their high school careers.

“Individual improvement and knowledge. It’s rewarding for me to see someone mature throughout a year and grow as an athlete but also mature in confidence. Ultimately, everything else aside, I want these young women to be empowered and confident for the future. To know anytime there is an obstacle, they can overcome it, and never give up. It’s a life lesson; it’s not about soccer really. Soccer is an avenue to learn,” she said.