Decatur FC won its first conference game of the season on May 25 against Atlanta Fire United.
Decatur FC beat AFU 5-2 at AFU’s home field at Pinecrest Academy in Cumming. From the get go, the team’s strong passing and communication enabled them to control the game and keep the ball on the attacking half of the field. Just three minutes into the game, forward Maggie Wadsworth scored Decatur FC’s first goal after two goalie deflections.
Throughout the first half, AFU became more competitive and took more attempts at scoring. The Decatur FC defense was strong and able to slow down many plays. But in the 37th minute of the game, a through ball made it past them. Decatur FC goalkeeper Nikki Bidun tried to save the shot, but the ball deflected off of her and into the goal, tying up the game at 1-1. Otherwise, Bidun played excellently, making impressive saves throughout the half.
Later in the first half, midfielder Sydnie Thibodaux scored by booming a beautiful shot past the AFU goalkeeper. Decatur FC went into halftime up 2-1.
In the second half, the game flipped on its head.
“What we didn’t see was a game that went both ways,” Decatur FC Coach Campbell Chapman said. “We were attacking first half and then defending more in the second half.”
That being said, Decatur FC still had a few solid attempts at the goal. Some were unsuccessful, including a few saved shots and one that hit the crossbar. But midfielder Allie Planeaux and forward Dylan Driver were able to help extend the team’s lead. After the two of them ran down the field together passing the ball, Driver made a perfect pass into the box. Midfielder Maysoon El-Shami connected it and hit the ball into the back of the net, bringing the score to 3-1.
AFU had a strong second half, scoring a second goal early on. They had multiple other chances at scoring, but were unsuccessful. Bidun made many great saves, and defender Micah Bryant executed a beautiful slide tackle that prevented AFU from another opportunity to score.
Despite mostly playing on the defensive, Decatur FC continued to create opportunities for themselves in the offense during the second half. Forward Sarah Grenier scored the team’s fourth goal off of a deflection from the goalkeeper and a few quick passes.
With just over eight minutes left in the game, there was a foul in the box, giving Decatur FC a penalty kick. Grenier took the kick and sent the ball in the air to the side of the goalie, extending the team’s lead to 5-2.
“I liked the fact that we were professional at the end and that we kept playing the same way to try and score goals,” Chapman said. “We didn’t panic.”
Decatur FC’s next game will be on Friday, May 30 at 7 p.m. against UFA at home at Decatur High School Stadium.
