By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

NORTH SHELBY – After starting the season 3-1-0 on the soccer pitch, the Briarwood Lady Lions began trending in the wrong direction, losing five of their next six matches between Feb. 13 and March 22 to drop to 4-6-0. After a March 22 loss to 6A power John Carroll Catholic, Briarwood took a two-week hiatus before returning to action against one of the top 1A-3A schools in the county, Montgomery Academy. Briarwood kept the game tight for most of the first half, but the Lady Eagles had too much firepower on this day, beating Briarwood 6-2.

From the start of the first half, Montgomery Academy controlled the majority of the game from a possession standpoint. Audrey Haplin had a good look at goal in the 13^th minute for Briarwood, but the Lady Eagles were mostly in control from the jump. Cari Budny broke into the scoring column first for Montgomery Academy in the 15^th minute to take a 1-0 lead, and the Lady Eagles seemed to be in control. However, Briarwood captain Sara Ferguson scored an equalizer not even a minute later on a breakaway one-v-one with the Montgomery Academy keeper to knot the game at 1-1.

The tie was short lived, however, as Budny took an outlet pass and carried the ball to the Briarwood goal from midfield before pushing a pass across the face of goal to freshman Tara Katz, who scored to give the Lady Eagles a 2-1 advantage, and Briarwood never pulled even again.

In the second half, trailing 4-1, junior Grace Harris found the back of the net for Briarwood in the 52^nd minute, pulling the Lady Lions back to within two goals. However, Montgomery Academy added two more goals late in the second half, and won 6-2.

Briarwood moved to 4-7-0 with the loss, but is still 1-1 in area play. The Lady Lions’ next area game is April 15, when they travel to take on 6A No. 2 Chelsea.