Briarwood Christian Advances to Class 6A Girls State Soccer Championship with 4-1 Victory Over Spanish Fort

HUNTSVILLE, AL – Senior midfielder Taylor Leib delivered a standout performance with a hat trick as Briarwood Christian (14-7-0) defeated Spanish Fort 4-1 on Thursday, securing a spot in the AHSAA Class 6A State Soccer Finals. 

Head Coach Ryan Leib’s Lady Lions are on track to compete for their 10th girls’ state title.  

Taylor Leib opened the scoring early in the match with a precise shot from 12 yards out on the left side, assisted by Madison Bell, putting Briarwood ahead 1-0. The Lions extended their lead in the second half when Zoey Eighmy found the back of the net with an assist from Brooklyn Barnett. 

Leib then sealed her dominant performance, scoring two additional goals at 45:30 and 55:14, pushing Briarwood to a commanding 4-0 lead. 

Spanish Fort (19-2-2), experiencing only its second loss of the season, avoided a shutout thanks to Barbara Czarkowska, who scored with an impressive 30-yard curling shot. The assist came from Beatrice Souza. 

Briarwood goalkeeper Catherine Walker recorded four crucial saves, while Spanish Fort’s keeper Holland Burkhalter finished with five saves. 

The Lady Lions will return to the pitch on Saturday, aiming to bring their 10th blue map back to north Shelby County.

FEATURED IMAGE: Taylor Leib (10) scores one of her team-leading 3 goals in Thursday’s Briarwood 4-1 victory over Spanish Fort with Nancy DeFilippo (15) and Katya Jamies (5) defending. (AHSAA PHOTO | David Holtsford)