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Indian Springs' boys and girls soccer teams both advanced to the quarterfinals of the soccer playoffs with first-round wins. (For the Reporter/Larry Dancy)

By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Sports Editor

Boys

Briarwood 4, Trinity 0

The Briarwood Lions have been one of the hottest teams not just in Shelby County, but the state over the last two months of play and that success continued in the first round of the playoffs with a 4-0 victory against Trinity.

Briarwood has now won 19 consecutive games to move to 21-2-1 this season and has scored three goals or more in 20 of its 24 games, including every game of the win streak.

The Lions have also given up more than one goal in just four games this season and has pitched a shutout in 16 games, including four straight shutouts.

With the win, Briarwood advanced to the quarterfinals on Friday, May 4, at 7 p.m. where they’ll travel to take on Loveless Academic Magnet Program, who beat Calera 4-0 in the first round. 

Indian Springs 5, Holy Spirit 0

A first-round shutout was about as good of a start to the postseason as the Indian Springs boys soccer team could ask for and that’s what they got when they took down Holy Spirit by a final score of 5-0.

With Springs ending its season with just four wins in its last nine games, it was the confidence-building start that the team needed in order to make a run at repeating as state champions.

Indian Springs will have to take on Bayside Academy (22-1) in the quarterfinals in order to advance to the Final Four. Springs lost to Bayside 2-1 on April 7, making the task ahead a difficult one.

Girls

Chelsea 6, Opelika 0 

After a thrilling first-round win against Homewood that went down to the wire, the Chelsea Hornets’ girls soccer team had a much easier go of it in round two with a 6-0 victory against Opelika.

The Hornets scored two goals in the first half, the latter of which came just a minute before the half to send them into the locker room with a ton of confidence. That confidence showed in the second half, as Chelsea came out and scored four more goals to win by the final of 6-0.

Chelsea has now won seven games in a row and 13 of its last 15. The Hornets will take on No. 1 John Carroll at home in the quarterfinals on Friday, May 4, as they look to repeat as state champions.

Briarwood 4, American Christian Academy 3

The Briarwood girls will be joining the boys in the semifinals after picking up a 4-3 win against American Christian Academy.

It wasn’t smooth sailing for the Lions, who trailed 3-0 at the half, but four unanswered goals in the second half with their backs against the wall helped them prevail and get back to the quarterfinals of the playoffs as they look to repeat as state champions.

Now one win away from getting back to the Final Four, Briarwood will have to get through 20-2-2 Trinity Presbyterian School on Friday, May 4, at 6:30 p.m. to get there. The Lions lost 2-0 to Trinity in their first game of the season. 

Indian Springs 4, Holy Spirit 1

Indian Springs continued its dominant season in the first round of the playoffs by picking up a 4-1 victory against Holy Spirit to win its ninth consecutive game down the stretch.

During that stretch, Indian Springs has scored three or more goals in eight of the nine wins and at least four goals in seven of the nine.

With the Victory against Holy Spirit, Springs moved on to the quarterfinals where they’ll meet Houston Academy on Saturday, May 5, at 5 p.m. looking to advance to the Final Four.

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