After beating Atlanta Fire United (AFU) over Memorial Day weekend, Decatur FC beat AFU again on June 6 with a 5-2 win, continuing their undefeated streak this season.
Coming into the game, Decatur FC was fresh off of a 2-1 win against Chattanooga FC. For the season, the team is ranked fourteenth out of 150 Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) teams and remains the top team in their conference.
Decatur had a strong start with many possessions in the first few minutes. While they had many opportunities to score, they were unable to capitalize on them, and the momentum quickly shifted to AFU.
AFU’s striker stole the ball from Decatur’s defense and had a wide open shot on goal, but the ball was batted down by Decatur FC goalkeeper Nikki Bidun. AFU shot that deflection, which was stopped by the Decatur FC defense.
“The Chattanooga game was a real battle for the complete 90 minutes, so the backline played a lot of minutes,” Head Coach Campbell Chapman said. “At the beginning of the game, we just looked a little bit fatigued and lackadaisical, and consequently, we made a few mistakes at the back, and it gave AFU encouragement.”
About 15 minutes into the game, an AFU striker was fouled in the box. The player struck the penalty kick towards the middle of the goal and hit the back of the net. This brought the score to 1-0, which was Decatur FC’s first time trailing all season.
Forward Dylan Driver explained how Decatur FC kept their heads in the game after a slow start.
“We came together and had a huddle to regroup. We discussed how this game was ours for the taking and that we have to get our energy up and make sure to do the simple things right,” Driver said. “It was the spark to get a goal and get our energy back up.”
Decatur FC had many opportunities to tie the game up, but the AFC defense stayed strong until great Decatur FC ball control and passing led to a shot from Driver. She sent the ball flying over the goalie and hit the back of the net, tying the game at 1-1.
Just a couple of minutes later, midfielder Sydnie Thibodaux passed the ball to Driver, who scored again. Leading the game 2-1, Decatur FC picked up a lot of momentum. Midfielder Allie Planeaux dribbled quickly down the left side of the field and beat her defender. Planeaux then laid the ball off to midfielder Smith Cathey, who blasted the ball over the goalie into the top of the net. This goal brought the score to 3-1 with just a few minutes left in the first half.
Three minutes into the second half, AFU scored off a ground ball that went into the far corner of the net, lessening Decatur FC’s lead and bringing the score to 3-2.
Decatur FC fought hard to increase their lead in the second half, creating many opportunities to score. For the team’s fourth goal, Driver shot the ball, which deflected off the goalie. But after battling with AFU’s defense, she was able to get a touch on that deflection and send the ball into the goal. This goal gave Driver a hat trick and brought the score to 4-2.
“I scored a goal last game against Chattanooga, which gave me the confidence to just take my shots this game,” Driver said. “My first goal was not a shot I would normally take, but I thought that I should try and see if it would go in. I just felt really confident tonight and decided to take my chance.”
Chapman was very proud of Driver’s success and dedication.
“Dylan works extremely hard for the team and she’s had some opportunities in previous games where shots just didn’t drop for her,” Chapman said. “Tonight, she scored a great first goal and just continued to play with a lot of confidence. She’s been fantastic.”
With 25 minutes left in the second half, defender Aniyah Collier scored a beautiful goal. This brought the score to 5-2.
Although both teams fought hard, no one scored any other goals for the remainder of play, and the game ended in a 5-2 Decatur FC win – the same score of their previous game with AFU this season.
“We have played four games in just two weeks, which is a lot. At this point in the season, players are getting fatigued, knocks and bruises, and are not able to recover as quickly,” Chapman said. “Tonight we had girls coming off the bench play longer minutes to try and get them ingrained and feeling confident when they play… All in all, we came through and got the win, so I am pleased.”
In addition to the win, Decatur FC set a new attendance record of 2,620 fans for this game. The team’s next match will be an away game against UFA on June 10th at 7 p.m. at Denmark High School in Alpharetta.