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The Chelsea Hornets strung together a comeback for the ages to defeat the Briarwood Christian Lions in the Class 6A state playoffs, advancing to host a quarterfinal for the first time since 2011. (For the Reporter/Robert Dean)

By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

NORTH SHELBY – As the lights shined on the field at Briarwood Christian School, Chelsea junior Jacob Cano stood living a dream that only few can make a reality.

On the pitch, he stood with a soccer ball on the ground and a goal 17 yards in front of him. If he makes the shot, his Chelsea Hornets are still playing for a shot at the state title, but if he misses, their fate is still up in the air. However, the only thing that can decide that is whether Briarwood junior goalkeeper Gavin Patterson can save it or not.

As the whistle blew, Cano made a quick run up towards the ball, put foot to leather and struck it towards the left side of the net past Patterson.

The Hornets faithful erupted and the players stormed the field, while the Lions of Briarwood sat motionless and in agony, knowing one of their best seasons in the program’s history had come to an end.

With the score, the Chelsea Hornets completed an improbable comeback on the road on Tuesday, April 29, rallying from two goals down to win 3-2 over the Briarwood Christian Lions on a 4-1 advantage in penalty kicks to keep their season alive and advance to the quarterfinals of the Class 6A state playoffs.

“That’s got to be one of the greatest high school games I’ve ever witnessed,” said Chelsea head boys soccer coach Lee Miller. “We always say, ‘Championship teams find a way…’ We got back in it 2-2, and then in the shootout, we stepped up and got it done. On a different night, it goes a different way, but tonight, we dug a little deeper.”

From the moment the opening whistle blew, the pace turned up to 10 and set the tone for the entire night. Despite the pace though, it felt as if scoring came at a premium.

The Hornets nearly opened things up on a drive by Wever down the edge of the pitch, but could not convert on a shot. That chance was the closest either team got for a while in the contest, as a physical matchup ensued.

While Briarwood controlled the possession arrow in the opening 20 minutes of the night, Chelsea took over in the closing 20 minutes of the first half, trying to find chances where it could.

The closest the Hornets got was a chance that emerged in the 30th minute, when Parker Dean ran up the middle of the pitch with an open shot in front of him, but missed it wide left.

The game went into halftime scoreless, but little did either team know what was awaiting them.

The second half began with a similar pace to the first, with neither team being able to break through. The Lions saw two chances in the 48th minute on a corner and a shot up the middle in the 52nd minute, but neither attempt got to the back of the net.

However, Briarwood had gained the momentum back in those instances, and in the 63rd minute, a cross from Thomas Lanier on the left side of the box found the foot of Lucio Costa to break the knot, putting his team up 1-0.

The adrenaline was not finished though for the Lions, as they earned a corner opportunity in the 68th minute. Lanier taking it from the right side, he booted it towards the left side of the net, where Cam Harrington got his head on it and put into the goal for a much-needed insurance score and quickly making it a 2-0 game.

With Chelsea in a deep hole and only 12 minutes to make something happen, the players dug deep inside themselves to try and keep their season alive. Doing so was just what the Hornets needed to tip the momentum in their favor.

In the 70th minute, a penalty on Briarwood in the box sent Luke Miller up to take a penalty kick. Miller calmly stepped up and rocketed a shot towards the right side of the net to cut the deficit in half at 2-1.

Chelsea’s late-game magic was not done though, and with an aggressive attack in the 77th minute, Marcus Garcia drew a foul on the left side of the box, sending Miller back to the 12-yard mark for another penalty kick.

With the season on the line, Miller ran up and drilled the ball towards the right side again, just getting it past Patterson to tie it and send the Hornets into a frenzy. 

That conversion sent the game into extra time, where neither team could score after two periods of five minutes, which meant one thing—penalty kicks.

Chelsea led off with Harper Dean, who converted towards the left side of the net to make it 1-0. Brock Shields then stepped up for the Lions, but his shot to the left was saved by Madden Brown.

Cooper Baumbaugh ran up and made it 2-0 on a shot to the left side before Thomas Lanier tried to get Briarwood on the board. However, he hit the left post, negating the chance.

Up next was Dean for the Hornets, and with his shot to the lower left corner, the score became 3-0. Carson Tucker took the ball next, and with a make, kept the season alive to get things to 3-1.

But it was then that Cano stepped up, with a win riding on him converting his attempt. He ran up and fired it towards the lower left corner as well, and as the ball hit the back of the net, Chelsea ran towards him in exuberation. 

Now, for the first time since 2011, the Hornets will host a quarterfinal in a match with the Calera Eagles on Saturday, May 3 at 7 p.m. at Chelsea High School with a shot at claiming a spot in Huntsville.

“It’s dreamy,” Miller said. “That’s quite a long time ago. Luke (Miller) was a little-bitty kid and now to get a chance to do it again, I’m super excited for it.”

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