In a downpour in Woodstock, Decatur FC suffered a stunning loss, conceding two goals, scoring none, losing 2-0 to rival Georgia Impact. It was the first shutout loss in franchise history.
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Decatur FC found itself up against its toughest matchup yet. The teams traded scoring opportunities in the pouring rain for the first 30 minutes, the conditions making it difficult for either team to gain much headway. Chances went sideways as players slipped on the sopping field, and the ball speed and pace of play were slowed by the wet ground.
“Obviously disappointed to lose a big game, but the conditions were very difficult tonight,” Decatur coach Campbell Chapman told Rough Draft after the match. “A monsoon came right after kickoff and completely changed the way we played.”
Through all of that, Decatur battled against its toughest opponent of the season in a year that has seen multiple close games. Georgia Impact was swarming, pushing them far back into their own zone and intercepting seemingly every pass in the midfield, which is highly disruptive to an offense that runs via passes connecting in the midfield.
“I thought the conditions suited the way they wanted to play against us and made it a very up-and-down game,” Chapman said. “We just couldn’t adjust to the conditions with the heavy rain coming in.”
As the game wore on, Decatur was increasingly on its back foot, and mistakes began to creep in. Thirty minutes in, goalkeeper Nikky Bidun made an excellent save off a free kick, but then took too long to take the goal kick, triggering an automatic corner for Impact under FIFA’s new rules. Georgia sent it off the post, and Decatur managed to clear, but the danger wasn’t over. Seven minutes later, forward Anna Weir sent a pass across the net to forward Sarah Houston, whose shot was deflected by the fortunately positioned body of a Decatur FC defender.
Unfortunately, that defender’s body would not be there the next time Weir and Houston made the same play, which was approximately three minutes later. This time, Houston didn’t miss her shot, arcing the ball over Bidun’s outstretched arm and into the top right corner of the net in the 40th minute for the 1-0 lead.
As the rain dissipated during halftime, Decatur hoped a fresh half could breathe new life into its lineup. That did not happen, however. A mere three minutes into the second half, Georgia Impact threw the ball in down near Decatur’s net. Two passes later, the ball was in the back of the net, knocked past Bidun, who didn’t see the ball going past her until it was too late.
“Giving up a goal right before halftime was very important for the momentum of the game,” Chapman said. “It’s an uphill battle from there.”
Decatur did fight back, but was ultimately stoned by Impact keeper Jaddah Foos, who played with Decatur in its inaugural season in 2024.
Next match
Decatur FC is now 2-1-1 on the season and will try to rebound on Tues., June 16, when they play Atlanta Fire United in Cumming, GA.
