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Photo by Sarah Owens
Mountain Brook Girls Soccer player Langston Lilly at a game against Spain Park on March 19, 2025.
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Photo by Sarah Owens
Mountain Brook Girls Soccer players Langston Lilly (23) and Heidi Hollingsworth (15) at a game against Spain Park on March 19, 2025.
Langston Lilly knows it won’t be easy to replicate what the Mountain Brook High School girls soccer team achieved last spring.
Lilly and the Spartans captured the program’s first state championship in over a decade, defeating Briarwood 2-0 in the Class 6A final.
Mountain Brook wasn’t exactly the favorite to hoist the trophy throughout the season. The Spartans had no seniors and were used to being labeled a “young team.” But behind the leadership of Lilly, goalkeeper Laine Minich and fellow junior Virginia Poe, the Spartans played the role of spoiler on their title run.
Lilly converted a penalty kick in the final.
“It was one of the coolest things ever,” she said. “I’ll always remember that day.”
The Spartans returned virtually the same squad this year, with just a few younger additions to the varsity roster. But they’ve had to adjust to the reality of being the team with a target on its back.
“Because she has a big spotlight, there’s a lot of pressure,” head coach Adam Johnson said. “Given the scouting report on Langston, she gets double-teamed, marked and fouled. She’s earned that respect.”
Photo by Sarah Owens
Mountain Brook Girls Soccer player Langston Lilly (23) at a game against Spain Park on March 19, 2025.
Lilly admits adjusting to that attention hasn’t been easy, but she believes the team has grown from midseason losses to Chelsea and Montgomery Academy.
How badly does she want another shot at a title?
“I’ve told people on our team, ‘How badly do you want it? Take that times 1,000, and that’s how badly I want it,’” she said.
Lilly and Minich have played together for years, including on the same ECNL club team. Both have been on varsity since their freshman year, and Johnson credited their work ethic and commitment to growth.
“[Lilly] joined us as a freshman and made a big impact,” Johnson said. “Her approach to the game — even then — she was a sponge, soaking it in and trying to learn everything.”
There won’t be much downtime for Lilly after high school. After graduation, she’ll spend a short stint with the United Soccer League’s Birmingham Legion developmental team before moving into Samford University in early July.
Photo by Sarah Owens
Mountain Brook Girls Soccer player Langston Lilly at a game against Spain Park on March 19, 2025.
With college soccer played in the fall, she’ll jump straight into her next chapter.
It was clear early in her recruiting journey where she wanted to be. Of five planned visits, she only took two. Samford quickly stood out as the right fit.
Lilly has already made a lasting impact at Mountain Brook — winning the 2024 state title, being recognized as one of the top players in the state, and competing in last summer’s AHSAA North-South All-Star Game.
But she has one final goal to reach.
If Mountain Brook is to repeat as champions, the Spartans will need to win three playoff games to return to the state final four, set for May 7-10 at John Hunt Park in Huntsville.
“There’s no other way I’d want to end my soccer career here at Mountain Brook,” Lilly said.
