Massie's hat trick lifts Patriots to state title

HUNTSVILLE -- The Homewood High School girls soccer team completed its objective Saturday afternoon.

A year after losing the Class 6A state championship game in heartbreaking fashion, the Patriots redeemed themselves, dominating Northridge 4-0 to capture the program’s second state title. 

“It’s just the culmination of a lot of hard work,” Homewood head coach Sean McBride said. “We talked about the pain of last year and losing in the finals and it motivated these girls every day. We knew we were facing a good opponent today and we knew we couldn’t let up.”

Maddie Massie made sure there was no drama in this year’s final, notching a hat trick with three goals. She notched the final three goals of the game, making it 2-0 in the game’s sixth minute. Her second goal came from a Mary Siena McBride assist early in the second half and her final goal punctuated the ending in the final minute.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Sean McBride said of Massie’s performance. “Maddie Massie is the type of player you don’t have to coach, you just let her play.”

Mary Siena McBride scored in the third minute to stake Homewood a lead it would not relinquish.

Homewood’s defense was utterly dominant as well, only allowing Northridge three shots, but none of them requiring a save from goalkeeper Katie Crim. 

“We were ready,” Massie said. “Really ready. I have the best team by my side.”

Homewood knocked off Southside-Gadsden 5-2 on Friday to reach the final. Annie McBride scored twice within the first 15 minutes of the game to put the Patriots on the board early. Southside notched a goal in the 22nd minute, but Lilly Lowery scored in the 31st minute to give the Patriots a 3-1 lead that they would take into halftime.

In the second half, Grace Studinka put Homewood on the board early with a goal to make it 4-1. In the 69th minute, Southside notched another goal, but Homewood’s Laine Owen put the game away with a goal in the 73rd minute.

Crim got the win in goal, making a pair of saves. Homewood outshot Southside 24-5 in the contest.

Northridge beat St. Paul’s 4-0 on Friday to get to the final.

Homewood won the program’s first state title in 2019 under Mindy McBride, wife of the current head coach. He said she joked that he was not a real coach until he won one of his own with the girls program, despite him winning five leading the boys program.

There’s no denying it now.

Sean McBride said some of Homewood’s seniors from last year’s team, which lost to St. Paul’s in a penalty shootout in the final, and credited the teams from the last few years for helping put Homewood girls soccer “back on the map.”

Homewood finished the season with a 20-2-2 record, beating Jasper, Pinson Valley and Mountain Brook to reach the final four. Crim, Mary Ellen Petrella, Lilly Lowery, Rika Kellen, Caroline Crimi, Selah LeDuc and Owen were seniors this season.