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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

Girls soccer took center stage in Shelby County once again as some of the best players in the state called the area home.

The county also saw multiple successful teams as Briarwood Christian made another run to the Class 6A state championship game, Helena and Westminster OM enjoyed deep playoff runs, Oak Mountain cracked the top five in Class 7A once again and Spain Park did the unthinkable and went 21-0 in the regular season to win an area championship.

Once again, the county saw tremendous depth in its soccer teams this year, and on any given night, just about anyone could challenge for a win with the talent at their disposal.

Those talented players are honored here on the All-County Team as they etch their names alongside some of the best players in the history of Shelby County while writing new legends for themselves.

 

First Team

Forward: Reese Oldfield, sophomore, Spain Park. Oldfield had an impactful presence up front despite just being a freshman, racking up 25 goals and 22 assists to contribute in multiple ways to a diverse Jags attack and earning a Super All-State First Team selection.

Forward: Brooklyn Barnett, junior, Briarwood Christian. Barnett was one of the top chance-creating options for the Lions this year whether the goal came off her foot or someone else’s. The junior netted 20 goals and 13 assists on the road to the state title game.

Forward: Baileigh Rumage, sophomore, Helena. Rumage excelled in every part of Helena’s offense and ended the year with 20 goals and 16 assists as she earned places on the Class 6A All-State Team and All-Metro B-Division First Team.

Forward: Ashna Mehra, freshman, Indian Springs. Mehra made an immediate impact in a difficult area as she racked up 21 goals and eight assists and earned a spot on the All-Metro B-Division First Team in her freshman season.

Midfielder: Tatum Ahlemeyer, senior, Spain Park. The 2024 Shelby County Player of the Year closed out her Spain Park career with another incredible year on the pitch. The Lipscomb commit’s 30 goals and 20 assists helped power the Jags’ perfect regular season and earned her Metro Player of the Year honors and a Super All-State First Team spot.

Midfielder: Taylor Leib, junior, Briarwood Christian. Leib was a massive threat to score every time she touched the ball, no matter where she was on the pitch. That was evident in her county Golden Boot-winning 42 goals, and she also had eight assists in a year when she was named a Metro A-Division Co-Captain and to the Super All-State First Team.

Midfielder: Dia Montiel-Duenas, junior, Thompson. Montiel-Duenas continued her offensive dominance the same way she has ever since she debuted, adding 17 goals and 19 assists to lead the Warriors in scoring for the third straight season and make the Class 7A All-State First Team and All-Metro A-Division First Team.

Midfielder: Kati Ann Shepherd, freshman, Oak Mountain. Shepherd didn’t look at all like a freshman out on the pitch, holding her own against some of the best players in Class 7A while earning 20 goals, 16 assists, a Super All-State Second Team selection and First Team honors for the Class 7A All-State and All-Metro A-Division rosters.

Defender: Avery Smith, senior, Oak Mountain. Smith was easily one of the best defenders in the state this season for how well she played against very difficult attackers. As a result, the SIU commit helped Oak Mountain allow just 19 goals all season and secure 15 clean sheets while making the Super All-State First Team, Class 7A All-State Team and All-Metro A-Division First Team.

Defender: Erin Gilbert, senior, Briarwood Christian. Gilbert excelled on both ends of the pitch as she was a key part of the Lions’ 12 clean sheets and added 11 goals and four assists on the offensive end. The senior captain earned spots on the Class 6A All-State Team and All-Metro A-Division First Team.

Defender: Addison Doyle, senior, Indian Springs. Doyle earned her third straight All-Metro First Team selection with another electric year out of the back, scoring 19 goals and earning five assists while also anchoring Springs’ backline.

Defender: Raegan Whitaker, senior, Oak Mountain. Whitaker held the line for the Eagles to earn 15 clean sheets and allow just 19 goals all season, and the SIU commit also put in work from the forward spot and scored eight times as part of a Super All-State First Team, Class 7A All-State First Team and All-Metro A-Division First Team season.

Goalkeeper: Addisyn Cook, senior, Helena. The Southern Union commit stopped almost everything in sight, as evidenced by her 176 saves and 12 clean sheets. As a result, she propelled the Huskies into the second round of the playoffs and earned All-Metro B-Division Second Team honors.

 

Second Team

Forward: Vale Richie, sophomore, Westminster OM. After a star-making freshman season, Richie continued her dominant run up front with 24 goals and 10 assists as part of another area championship season for the Knights.

Forward: Ashlynn Beery, senior, Helena. Beery may be set to run cross-country at UAH, but she left her mark on the pitch with 18 goals and five assists as she closed her career with an All-Metro B-Division First Team place.

Forward: Charli Gantt, freshman, Thompson. Gantt proved to be more than capable of facing the best defenses that Class 7A has to offer and enabled every part of the Warriors offense with her 15 goals and 14 assists to make the All-Metro A-Division Second Team.

Forward: Jaena Carillo, freshman, Montevallo. Carillo excelled against difficult matchups to lead the Bulldogs in scoring as just a freshman, scoring 17 goals and eclipsing the 15-assist mark to play a key role in Montevallo’s attack.

Midfielder: Addie Soehn, junior, Spain Park. Soehn did a great job of getting the ball to the Jags’ other offensive pieces with 15 assists, but she proved just as adept at scoring herself as the future Louisiana-Lafayette player scored 14 goals en route to place on the Super All-State First Team, Class 7A All-State Team and All-Metro A-Division First Team.

Midfielder: Lacey Lambert, junior, Pelham. Lambert will represent the Pelham Panthers at the North-South All-Star Game after another star-making season, earning 14 goals and six assists to lead her team in scoring.

Midfielder: Miah Rosener, senior, Helena. Rosener capped off a hugely successful career with another big two-way season, earning five goals and seven assists while also helping on defense. The Huskies captain will soon find herself at Southern Union after making the All-Metro and All-County teams for the third straight season.

Midfielder: Hadley Eddins, senior, Oak Mountain. When the Eagles needed a clutch goal, Eddins got the call. Five of her 10 goals in 2024 were game-winning goals, and she also earned eight assists to make her an essential part of Oak Mountain’s lineup.

Defender: Evyn Williams, senior, Spain Park. Williams stepped up and led a Jags backline that earned 17 clean sheets across 22 matches and also secured three assists while playing out of the back.

Defender: Stephanie Morales, senior, Montevallo. Morales was practically unstoppable when she was in the match as opposing offenses only scored five times when she matched up with them on the pitch, helping the Bulldogs earn eight clean sheets.

Defender: Claire Robinson, sophomore, Pelham. As a defender and midfielder hybrid, Robinson earned six goals and an assist to earn a spot on the All-Metro B-Division First Team as an underclassman.

Defender: Ellen McKinney, senior, Chelsea. The one the Hornets call Texas was rarely messed with on defense as she held up against a tough slate of Class 7A attackers and made the All-Metro A-Division First Team. She also scored three goals and earned an assist during the season.

Goalkeeper: Megan Townsend Maynor, sophomore, Thompson. The Warriors keeper rarely allowed anything to get past her, and that showed with her 1.09 goals allowed average. That came as a result of her 153 saves and 12 clean sheets against some tough tests.

 

Third Team

Forward: Natalie Bunch, sophomore, Pelham. Bunch burst onto the scene in 2024 with 13 goals, the second-most on the Panthers this season, and three assists to impact the game as an underclassman.

Forward: Taylor Matthews, freshman, Briarwood Christian. Matthews played a big role as a freshman for the Class 6A runners-up, contributing an even 10 goals and 10 assists to the Lions offense.

Forward: Valerie Jamison, senior, Pelham. Jamison capped off her Panthers career with a solid season on the front line, scoring nine goals and eight assists in 2024.

Forward: Jenny Grant, senior, Westminster OM. The Knights captain made her mark at both the forward and midfielder positions and earned seven goals and five assists in her final high school season.

Midfielder: Zabdy Perez, sophomore, Montevallo. Perez excelled playing both ways for the Bulldogs, but on the offensive end, she scored 12 goals and passed the 12-assist mark to make herself one of Montevallo’s biggest contributors as just a sophomore.

Midfielder: Luna Montiel-Duenas, eighth grader, Thompson. She may not have walked the halls of Thompson High School yet, but Montiel-Duenas already has two big offensive seasons as a starter under her belt for the Warriors. She ended the year with 10 goals and 14 assists to take advantage of her good field vision.

Midfielder: Morgan Anthony, sophomore, Spain Park. Anthony played her defensive midfielder role well, contributing to the Jags’ 17 clean sheets while securing five goals and five assists as well. She secured a spot on the All-Metro A-Division Second Team for her efforts this year.

Midfielder: Auryn Tillette, senior, Spain Park. Tillette capped off her career with five goals and five assists as well as a perfect regular season for the Jags.

Defender: Angie Lopez, junior, Pelham. Lopez enabled the Panthers attack to succeed with her backline play as she ended the season with six goals and three assists.

Defender: Shea Eichelberger, senior, Thompson. Eichelberger led the Warriors as their team captain out of the center back spot, and in addition to her big contributions on defense, the Huntingdon commit scored three goals and added two assists.

Defender: Isabelle Willis, senior, Chelsea. Willis was a big team leader for Chelsea this season against tough competition in Class 7A. She earned a spot on the All-Metro A-Division Second Team and scored a goal as well.

Defender: Miller Grace Waites, sophomore, Westminster OM. Waites became one of the key pieces of the Knights backline this season, making 19 tackles and 15 clearances to contribute to four clean sheets. She also scored three goals from the wing back position.

Goalkeeper: Lailie Parvin, junior, Westminster OM. Parvin came up clutch for the Knights with four penalty saves as part of her 87 total saves. She allowed just 17 goals all season across 1,887 minutes in goal and earned four clean sheets to make the North All-Star Team. Parvin also scored three goals from the field to cap off a big season.

 

Honorable Mention: Marley Brown, Chelsea. Harper Carter, Chelsea. Adeline Keith, Chelsea. Simone Bermudez, Indian Springs. Beth Scarborough, Indian Springs. Yazmine Chavez, Montevallo. Grace Payne, Oak Mountain. Ella Pierce, Oak Mountain. Janelle Ramos, Pelham. Morgan Pritchett, Spain Park. Ava Morrison, Westminster OM. Mackenzie Varden, Westminster OM.