AHSAA SOCCER PLAYOFFS: With scholarship in hand, Marbury's Smith leads Bulldogs to playoffs

With her teammates looking on, Marbury’s Mackenzie Smith signed a scholarship with Southern Union CC recently. She will lead the Lady Bulldogs into the Class 5A first round against Elmore County today. (Contributed)

By TIM GAYLE
Mackenzie Smith is accustomed to being a trailblazer on Marbury’s soccer team so the senior goalkeeper wasn’t fazed when Southern Union Community College offered her a scholarship.

The Bison have been playing sports on their Wadley campus for years, but didn’t announce they were starting a men’s and women’s soccer program until three weeks ago. The soccer programs will be playing on the Opelika campus.

“That is really cool, to be a part of that,” Smith said, adding that one of the big reasons she chose to accept the offer from the Bison is “it was pretty close to home and it seemed more like a family, not like a job.”

The six-year starter for the Bulldogs held a signing ceremony at Marbury on Friday, considering several area programs before electing to sign with Southern Union.

But first, she will attempt to lead the Lady Bulldogs to a Class 5A title. Marbury opens the AHSAA playoffs at Elmore County today at 5:30 p.m.

There may be some rough moments this fall -- the school is holding summer tryouts to fill out its roster -- but Smith likes the idea on being on the school’s first soccer roster under head coach Mac Matthews, the former longtime coach of the girls’ soccer program at Auburn High.

“I really liked that I was going to able to actually play,” Smith said, “and I liked the relationship I had with the coach.”

The fact her collegiate choice is still trying to find its way in the soccer world didn’t affect her choice. After all, Marbury didn’t make its first trip to the state playoffs until 2016 and by the third postseason trip, in 2018, Smith was a member of the team as a seventh grader. 

Now, six years later, the Bulldogs will be making their fifth consecutive playoff trip -- there was no playoffs in 2020 -- as Marbury (21-2) travels to Elmore County on Monday for the first round of the 5A state playoffs.  

“When I started there, there were probably only 15 girls,” Smith said. “Now, we have a full varsity and a full junior varsity team, so that’s cool to see how it’s grown. We’ve accomplished a lot this year.”

Smith and her fellow seniors have never advanced past the first round. She’d like to lead the Bulldogs to their first-ever state tournament appearance this spring.

“In the past, I couldn’t see us going there,” Smith said, “but from the beginning of this year, I knew this team was pretty special and we could make a run for it.”

AHSAA First-Round Soccer Pairings/Results

All matches will be held either on Monday or Tuesday unless otherwise noted.

GIRLS

CLASS 1A-3A

Madison Academy (10-7-0) at Susan Moore (19-1-1), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

Danville (13-5-0) at Clements (14-3-0), Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Donoho (13-3-1) at Westminster-Oak Mountain (13-4-0), Monday, 5 p.m.

White Plains (4-8-0) at Westbrook Christian (14-4-1), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

Prattville Christian (9-4-1) at St. James (12-1-2), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

Alabama Christian (5-8-1) at Tuscaloosa Academy (17-4-0), Monday, 5 p.m.

Providence Christian (10-6-3) at Cottage Hill Christian (12-4-2), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

St. Luke's Episcopal (8-7-5) at Houston Academy (17-1-4), Tuesday, 5 p.m.

CLASS 4A

Westminster Christian (11-4-1) at Mars Hill Bible (8-4-1), Monday, 6 p.m.

West Morgan (14-9-0) at St. John Paul II (15-3-0), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

Cherokee County (7-5-2) at Jacksonville (10-3-1), Tuesday, 5:40 p.m., JSU Soccer Complex

Altamont (9-4-1) at Collinsville (14-5-3), Monday, 5 p.m.

Fultondale (10-7-0) at American Christian (10-4-0), Monday, 6 p.m.

Montevallo (10-7-0) at Oneonta (6-12-0), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

Trinity Presbyterian (12-4-3) at Orange Beach (17-3-0), Monday, 6 p.m.

St. Michael Catholic (15-4-0) at Catholic (13-5-0), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 5A

Russellville (9-6-0) at Guntersville (14-5-1), Monday, 5:30 p.m.

Arab (9-6-0) at East Limestone (18-2-0), Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Southside-Gadsden (11-12-1) at John Carroll (12-8-3), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

Moody (4-8-0) at Springville (15-2-0), Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Marbury (21-2-0) at Elmore County (10-3-0), Monday, 5:30 p.m.

Beauregard (8-10-0) at Sylacauga (17-3-1), Monday, 5:30 p.m.

Eufaula at Gulf Shores (16-9-0), Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Faith Academy at Carroll (10-8-1), Monday, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 6A

Randolph 10, Buckhorn 0

Hazel Green 4, Athens 0

Gadsden City 3, Hartselle 2

Fort Payne 3, Cullman 0

Gardendale 4, Pinson Valley 1

Mortimer Jordan 13, Huffman 0

Homewood 10, Shades Valley 0

Mountain Brook 10, Parker 0

Indian Springs 3, McAdory 0

Briarwood Christian 11, Hueytown 0

Calera 10, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 0

Northridge 3, Benjamin Russell 0

Pike Road 3, Wetumpka 0

Montgomery Academy 12, Stanhope Elmore 0

Saraland 2, Robertsdale 0

Spanish Fort 10, Theodore 0

CLASS 7A

Bob Jones (10-4-2) at Huntsville (9-8-4), Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Sparkman (17-4-0) at James Clemens (11-5-4), Monday, 6 p.m.

Spain Park (11-3-2) at Vestavia Hills (17-2-0), Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Hoover (15-5-0) at Oak Mountain (19-3-0), Monday, 7 p.m.

Opelika (9-8-0) at Dothan (15-5-0), Monday, 5:30 p.m.

Prattville (11-7-2) at Auburn (11-4-0), Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Fairhope (10-4-0) at St. Paul’s Episcopal (17-2-3), Monday, 6 p.m.

Baker at McGill-Toolen (13-5-0), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

BOYS

CLASS 1A-3A

Elkmont (15-5-1) at Susan Moore (14-4-3), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

Geraldine (8-10) at Tanner (18-4-1), Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Donoho (15-5-1) at Westminster-Oak Mountain (9-9-1), Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Tarrant (11-2-1) at Collinsville (15-3-4), Monday, 7 p.m.

Prattville Christian (5-10-0) at Alabama Christian (6-7-1), Monday, 6 p.m.

St. James (8-7-1) at Tuscaloosa Academy (16-5-1), Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Providence Christian (11-2-1) at St Luke's Episcopal (17-6-1), Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Cottage Hill Christian (8-7-1) at Houston Academy (19-3-1), Tuesday, 6 p.m.

CLASS 4A

St. John Paul II (11-4-1) at Mars Hill Bible (10-4-3), Tuesday, 7 p.m.

West Morgan (10-9-1) at Westminster Christian (14-6-0), Monday, 6 p.m.

Cherokee County (6-6-1) at White Plains (10-4-0), Monday, 6 p.m.

Jacksonville (9-6-0) at Westbrook Christian (8-9-3), Monday, 6 p.m.

Fultondale at Montevallo (13-3-1), Monday, 7 p.m.

American Christian (7-4-1) at Oneonta (14-7-2), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

Catholic (14-5-1) at Bayside Academy (13-1-3), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

St. Michael Catholic at Trinity (19-6-1), Tuesday, 5 p.m.

CLASS 5A

Brewer (14-7-1) at Guntersville (21-3-1), Monday, 7:30 p.m.

Boaz (15-6-0) at Russellville (14-2-1), Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Springville (13-6-0) at John Carroll (16-7-3), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

Leeds at Southside-Gadsden, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Marbury (7-5-2) at Elmore County (6-5-2), Monday, 7 p.m.

Brewbaker Tech (14-6-0) at Sylacauga (16-7-0), Monday, 7:30 p.m.

Eufaula at Gulf Shores (20-6-0), Tuesday, 4 p.m.

Faith Academy at Carroll (8-6-3), Monday, 7:15 p.m.

CLASS 6A

Randolph 5, Buckhorn 2

Hazel Green 5, Muscle Shoals 0

Fort Payne 5, Cullman 0

Hartselle 3, Gadsden City 1

Gardendale 5, Pinson Valley 1

Clay-Chalkville 4, Center Point 1

Homewood 6, Pell City 0

Mountain Brook 10, Parker 0

McAdory 6, Indian Springs 5

Pelham 10, Bessemer City 0

Calera 1, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 0

Northridge 3, Benjamin Russell 0

Wetumpka 4, Pike Road 2

Montgomery Academy 4, Stanhope Elmore 0

Theodore 2, Robertsdale 1

Spanish Fort 7, Murphy 0

CLASS 7A

James Clemens (8-12-3) at Huntsville (11-8-4), Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Grissom (14-4-4) at Bob Jones (11-8-2), Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Chelsea (16-6-2) at Hoover (11-7-3), Monday, 5 p.m.

Vestavia Hills (12-10-2) at Oak Mountain (17-2-2), Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Opelika (11-6-0) at Dothan (21-3-1), Monday, 7:15 p.m.

Enterprise (10-8-1) at Auburn (10-6-2), Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Fairhope (13-4-0) at Davidson (12-7-5), Monday, 7:30 p.m.

Baker (13-4-3) at Daphne (13-3-2), Tuesday, 7 p.m.

AHSAA Second-Round Soccer Pairings (Dates and times TBA)

GIRLS

CLASS 6A

Hazel Green (15-5-0) at Randolph (10-3-1)

Fort Payne (7-14-0) at Gadsden City (7-8-2) .  

Mortimer Jordan (14-4-0) at Gardendale (10-7-0)   

Mountain Brook (13-4-1) at Homewood (19-5-1)  

Indian Springs (10-3-0) at Briarwood Christian (15-3-1)

Northridge (15-4-1) at Calera (10-6-2)   

Pike Road (9-4-1) at Montgomery Academy (14-3-1)

Spanish Fort (20-1-2) at Saraland   

BOYS

CLASS 6A

Hazel Green (17-1-1) at Randolph (11-4-0)  

Hartselle (19-2-0) at Fort Payne (20-2-2)   

Clay-Chalkville (8-5-1) at Gardendale (13-5-1)

Mountain Brook (17-2-4) at Homewood (16-4-2)  

Pelham (17-5-2) at McAdory (14-5-1)  

Northridge (15-7-2) at Calera (12-3-1)  

Montgomery Academy (18-2-2) at Wetumpka (16-4-0)  

Spanish Fort (16-5-1) at Theodore (15-1-3)