Scott Nickerson
Elmore Autauga News
The Marbury Girls’ Soccer team has had their season ended the previous two years in the
playoffs following penalty kicks against their opponent. For a third year in a row, the Bulldogs went to penalty kicks following a tie at the end of regulation. However, this year, Marbury prevailed in the penalty kicks and advanced to the 2nd round of the Class 5A playoffs.
“This will be one of the games that I will always remember and use as an example of how a team can overcome adversity to achieve its goals,” said Marbury Head Coach Brent Sowell. “All year long, we have used the motto ‘one more round’ as a goal for our girls to reach, and Thursday night, they achieved it. For the last two years, our girls’ team has been eliminated from the playoffs in a penalty kick shootout. After last year’s playoff exit in a penalty-kick shootout, I decided that each practice would end with our players taking penalty kicks. That practice paid off, and when our girls faced another penalty-kick shootout against Brewbaker Tech, they were prepared and able to earn one more round in the playoffs.”
The 1st round contest featured a matchup between teams ranked in the Top 10 of the final Class 5A poll. Marbury, ranked #6, hosted Brewbaker Tech, ranked #7. Brew Tech entered the game with an impressive record of 16-2-5, with one of their five ties coming in a scoreless draw against Marbury in early March. The rematch in the 1st round of the playoffs ended in a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation that had to be decided with penalty kicks. Amylia Rigdon scored Marbury’s goal in regulation.
In penalty kicks, goalkeeper Ariel Mangum had a save (along with 5 saves during regulation). Belle Boyer, Mary Wallace Auburtin, Kendall Holmes, and Hailey Kopp converted their penalty kicks, with Kopp scoring the game winner.
“It was a very even matchup, and even though we faced several injuries, we played a solid game, particularly in the midfield, where we controlled possession,” said Coach Sowell.
After defeating the #7 ranked team in the 1st round, Marbury will now face Indian Springs, ranked #3 in Class 5A. Indian Springs has won the state championship three times in their school’s history, with the most recent occurring in 2022.
The 2nd round matchup is scheduled to take place on Monday at 5:30 p.m.
