It’s almost over.
This week, Decatur FC will play its final two games of its first-ever season. On June 29, the team will take on Nashville Rhythm, the third-ranked team in the Southeast Conference, in their final home game at 7 p.m. Then, on July 1, Decatur plays its final game against the top-ranked UFA Gunners to close out the season. The Black and Gold are currently ranked fifth, though they have played one less game and could easily move up in the standings with at least one win in the coming days.
But the team hasn’t allowed the standings to affect their preparation for this final week. It’s business as usual.
“I feel like it’s kind of the same preparation of last week,” said Decatur FC player Sarah Greiner. “It’s always play hard, play the game you know, and don’t overcomplicate it. If you play the game you know, it comes pretty easy. … None of us really pay attention to [the standings] as it doesn’t really reflect who we are and how we were gonna play the game.”
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Last week, Decatur FC had its first experience with conceding a goal mid-game and recovering. The team’s recovery from that goal was a crucial learning experience for the team and proved they could stand up to adversity. Their first encounter with being scored on was in a game against Knoxville 865 Alliance, where the Black and Gold conceded two goals in the first 30 minutes and, despite dominating the rest of the game, couldn’t find the final equalizer. Proving that they could stop another team’s ascent in goals and recover from conceding one was key.
“We learned our lesson and it’s just responding,” Decatur FC Assistant Coach Jack Marchant said. “Goals go in, nobody’s perfect. Everybody in this league has conceded goals. It’s all about how you respond from them. … We learned that … especially in the summer, you got to eliminate the mistakes, especially in your own half. Can’t concede goals because if you give teams something to hang onto, it becomes increasingly difficult to get it off them. So if we can take the lead and take the initiative, that’s obviously the goal, but we’ve learned now over the past three, four weeks, if we concede goals, it’s not the end of the world.”
Last weekend’s win was Decatur’s first at home since the first week of the season, and for their last game, the team is hoping to give the fans something equally spectacular. It’s Youth Soccer night, so plenty of young fans and their families will be in attendance. Other fans have constructed a tifo for the team. They don’t have a pulley system to hoist the banner from, so the tifo will be on long poles instead.
For the players, the community’s support has meant everything in their first season.
“ I think for me, it’s a little bit different because I’m a Decatur native,” player Emma Chapman said. “So it’s been really special and rewarding to see. The community of Decatur’s already such a close knit group. But it’s so amazing to see the game of soccer and that we’re a part of it. To play in front of people — I played in front of teachers, friends, family, so I think the most special part is to play in front of the people of my city that I’m from.”
“The amount of support that we’ve got, I think is the biggest thing,” Marchant said. “it’s been amazing. To have over 1000 people every game has been truly kind of overwhelming to be honest. And the support you get walking through the city when you have a Decatur FC shirt on, everyone’s cheering you, it’s been amazing.”