On a scorching hot Tuesday in Knoxville, TN, Decatur FC’s disappointing 2026 season concluded with a whimper. A fluky goal early in the second half against 865 Alliance ended Decatur’s bid to secure second in the WPSL’s Southeastern Conference as they lost 1-0.
It was a bitter end to a difficult season for the club, which finished 4-2-2.
“Saturday was a real high, and it’d been lovely to solidify that by getting a result here to solidify second place,” Decatur FC Head Coach Campbell Chapman said.
The worst part for Chapman is that his team didn’t play badly. Decatur dominated possession in the first half, sending plays through the midfield as is their favored style.
Midfielder Allie Planeaux and forward Maggie Wadsworth both had strong runs towards the goal, though they were either stymied by the defense or turned away by 865’s keeper. Close to halftime, forward Sarah Greiner had a shot that hit the crossbar.
It was a half that Decatur felt it could build on in the second part of the game. Decatur only needed a draw to finish second in the conference, and while they were playing for the win, that took some pressure off. Play the way they had in the first half, and they could end a difficult season on a high note.
But after the break, things went wrong almost immediately. Shortly after kickoff, a missed tackle from Decatur led to a corner kick for Alliance, and a ball that would typically have been easily secured by goaltender Addie Daughtry slipped through her hands and into the back of the net, giving 865 Alliance a 1-0 lead.
Still, there was plenty of time left in the game, and Decatur went right back to work, putting shots on the 865 Alliance goaltender. The offense was humming the same way it had earlier in the game, with strong pressure from Decatur. Greiner even had a one-on-one with the keeper but couldn’t find the back of the net.
And as was so often the case this season, the finishing wasn’t there. There was no equalizing goal to be found. Decatur lost 1-0 and will finish, at best, fourth in the conference.
All they had left was a long three-and-a-half-hour drive back to Atlanta.
“Everybody who was there gave a great shift, gave everything they could to try and get the result. Wasn’t through lack of effort at all,” Chapman said.
“We really did try hard. We just didn’t have the rub of the green, and the ball just didn’t bounce our way. … I was really pleased with the performance. I was disappointed for the girls that they didn’t get something out of it.”
A rebuilding season
In his three years of coaching the team, this has been the hardest one for Chapman. He already knew this would be a bit of a rebuilding year, having lost multiple team leaders in the offseason, including his goaltender, Jaddah Foos, now playing for rival Georgia Impact.
But it was made much more difficult by the constant roster fluctuations and the compressed schedule. Decatur was down some of its best players in this game because they were already back in college.
That doesn’t make the loss any easier to swallow for Chapman. His team played well for 90 minutes, and one mistake cost them the game. But that’s soccer. Chapman said the season was fun despite the losses.
“I enjoy every minute of it,” Chapman said. “The response of the Decatur fans when we’re at home — it’s always a pleasure to coach in those games. For the players themselves, and the administration, and the staff, we all just really just all pitch in to get the best possible experience for everybody — for the players and the fans.”
