Vestavia edges Eagles in clash of top teams

Sophia Kamburis’ goal with under 20 minutes to play lifted No. 2 Vestavia Hills to a 2-1 victory over top-ranked Oak Mountain in a clash of the top two teams in Class 7A on Monday afternoon at Oak Mountain High School.

The first half was played almost exclusively on the Vestavia Hills side of the field, as Oak Mountain dominated the possession and had a few scoring chances, but came up empty. The Rebels considered themselves lucky to be sitting with a scoreless tie at halftime.

The second half started with a bang for both sides, as each team scored within the first ten minutes. Julia Freeman got Vestavia on the board first with a goal after the ball found its way to her right in front of the net. Auburn commit Hailey Whitaker tied the game minutes later as a shot caromed off the cross bar, and Whitaker slammed home the loose ball.

After Oak Mountain tied the game, the Rebels’ backline of Abigail Albritton, Lindsay Copeland, and Freeman stood tall the rest of the way to not allow the Eagles to crack the scoreboard again.

Both teams got great efforts from their goalkeepers as Vestavia's Lauren Roussell and Oak Mountain's Alyssa Vess made quality saves all game long.

The Eagles return to action at Hoover on Thursday. Game time is set for 5 p.m.