Photo by Erin Nelson.
Briarwood’s Abigail Hoaglund (3) passes the ball in a match against Helena at Briarwood Christian School on April 6.
The Briarwood Christian School girls soccer team has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel this spring.
After a few years of slogging through one of the toughest areas imaginable, the Lions have put together a 2023 season to be celebrated. Briarwood posted a 6-0 mark in area this year, sweeping Indian Springs, Pelham and Helena in area play.
The Lions have risen to No. 2 in the Class 6A rankings and are looking for more as the playoffs loom.
The confidence is evident in the players’ eyes. They have known they were a good team the last few years, but the hump of Homewood and Mountain Brook in area play has simply been too much to overcome, as they are two of the top programs in Class 6A. But in Ryan Leib’s tenure as head coach at Briarwood, the Lions have always fielded a solid, if not strong, team.
“It’s been so nice to finally be like, ‘We’re good and this year, our record actually shows it,’” said senior captain Bradford Latta. “We’ve been good in the past, but maybe our record hasn’t been.”
Briarwood has six seniors on this year’s team, with Latta and Abigail Hoaglund serving as the team’s captains. Jolee Giadrosich, Piper Eighmy, Makayla Sato and Lindsey Weigant are part of the group leading the charge this season as well. Eighmy is committed to play soccer at Central College in Iowa.
“The key is good senior leadership,” Leib said. “They’re intense but calm, they don’t try to make drama, they enjoy each other, they like to have a good time together, but they’re focused on what we’re trying to get accomplished.”
“The leadership from everyone on the team has been good, and everyone is trying to fulfill their role,” Hoaglund added. “That’s helped a lot. All six seniors are stepping up and being leaders.”
Briarwood had a big moment a couple weeks into the season, when the Lions knocked off Mountain Brook 3-2. That result served as a springboard. The Lions narrowly lost to top-ranked Homewood a few days later, but had not lost since as of April 20.
“It was early, so we were still trying to figure it out, but when that happens, you’re like oh, we could do something,” Leib said. “The kids played great, it was a good win for us and that just gave us confidence.”
Homewood knocked off the Lions on Feb. 28, but Briarwood nearly leveled the match at the end of regulation. There were plenty of positives to take away from the game.
“I felt good about that, because we got chances against them,” Leib said.
If Briarwood is to make a run deep into the playoffs this season, Leib hopes to see the team defense continue to improve. Latta said one thing the Lions will need to do is maintain focus for full games and not have any lapses. Hoaglund wants to see her teammates continue to fight no matter the circumstances.
All of those details were tested in the regular season's final stretch, as the Lions took on three 7A foes: Chelsea, Oak Mountain and Spain Park. Oak Mountain and Spain Park were each ranked in the top three in 7A in the middle of April.
The Lions have been rewarded for their efforts so far in 2023, and many of the seniors have been playing together since they were in elementary school. Now, they have a chance to solidify their legacy in May.
“It’s a great group of young ladies and we’re having a good time,” Leib said.
