FROM STAFF REPORTS

Chelsea and Benjamin Russell kicked off the 2007 Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) soccer playoffs with an early first-round game Monday evening.

With the field of 96 competitors across Classes 1A-6A set to begin Tuesday, Benjamin Russell HIgh School, ranked third in Class 5A, took care of business early, defeating the

Chelsea boys&8217; soccer team 2-1.

&8220;I&8217;m upset, because I definitely thought we could have gone further into the playoffs,&8221; said Chelsea head coach Samantha Corker.

Daniel Goslin struck first for BRHS with an assist from Austin Teel to give his team a 1-0 lead before halftime. Jake Dewberry grew the lead to 2-0 in the 50th minute of play, as the Wildcats&8217; defense held Chelsea scoreless until a Tommy Regan goal with 15 minutes remaining.

&8220;This was a big win for our program,&8221; BRHS head coach Sammy Teel said. &8220;Chelsea (20-7-1) has the second-best record in the state with 20 wins and is just a great program all the way around. We knew it wouldn’t be easy and it wasn&8217;t.&8221;

The Hornets finished the regular season ranked No. 12 in 5A. Chelsea is one of four schools to qualify both its boys&8217; and girls&8217; programs for the playoffs, as the Lady Hornets (6-7-4) traveled to top-ranked Briarwood Christian last night.

Briarwood, Oak Mountain and Indian Springs each fielded both their boys&8217; and girls&8217; teams in the playoffs, while the Thompson girls also join the state field