Decatur FC defeats Atlanta Fire 5-0 in home opener

Decatur FC’s launch night, filled with community support, ended with a triumphant 5-0 win over Atlanta Fire United.

The pre-game festivities began at 5 p.m. at O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub, owned by team owner Gareth O’Sullivan , where they were introduced to members of the community who came out to support them. Fans congregated for an hour until a 6:15 p.m. march to the stadium, led by Atlanta United fans with drums who came out to support the club for its first match.

“Women’s sports are super important especially out here in the South,” Decatur resident Bruno Silva said. “It’s sending a message that the South does have something to say so it’s really nice to be able to support that.”

“I’m a native to Decatur so I’m very excited to have a team here,” Decatur resident Terri Harrington said. “Especially a women’s team!”

The community’s passion showed through in the fan walk to the stadium and in the crowd of 1,803 that turned out to watch the team’s inaugural game. And the team made sure to give that energy right back in their play.

“I kept saying to the players that we’re going to feed off our own energy,” Decatur FC coach Campbell Chapman said. “So we’re going to provide the energy for the fan base and that reciprocate[s] with us.”

Out of the gate, Decatur FC proved they felt the crowd’s energy, pressing hard against the Fire. And despite an early defensive lapse where Decatur goalkeeper Jaddah Foos was forced to make a big save, Decatur rewarded the crowd for their support with their first goal in club history just ten minutes into the game. A gorgeous cross by Cameryn Maddox was knocked in by Breanna Barley, securing the first goal in franchise history and giving Decatur a 1-0 lead early in the game.

Decatur didn’t rest long on its laurels, though. A ball into the box by Micah Bryant was knocked in by Becky Contreras just four minutes after their first goal. And while Atlanta Fire protested for offsides, the goal stood, and the fans cheered as their team went up 2-0 early in its first-ever match.

Contreras wasn’t done yet. Shortly after her first goal, the Dacula, GA native made a run down the left side and crossed it into the top right corner of the net for her second goal of the game, and Decatur FC’s lead was 3-0.

“I feel like in the beginning, we were struggling first few minutes to get it together,” Contreras said. “But once we all got connected, and were playing together, I felt like we pretty much dominated the whole game and it felt really good to see a bunch of different people score goals.”

Decatur’s dominance continued in the second half despite making substitutions both in goal and on the field to allow their depth players the opportunity to join the scoring frenzy. Goalkeeper Isabelle Lee came up with a save early in the half, and Decatur was off to the races, making multiple passing runs into the Fire’s box.

It paid off fifteen minutes into the half when Katherine Elliott sent a pass to Maysoon El-Shami, who dribbled and waited out the goaltender before tapping it in for Decatur’s fourth goal of the game. The final nail in the coffin was a top corner shot from Sarah Greiner, who netted one after being unable to finish several chances earlier in the game, and Decatur FC’s first game ended in a cinematic 5-0 victory. Contreras was named player of the match

While Decatur’s offense thrived, their back line stood strong. Njeri Butts and Aniyah Collier were particularly noticeable, stopping multiple runs from the Fire and helping advance the ball up the field. Decatur’s passing accuracy carried their success as they made repeated runs into Atlanta’s box. And when Decatur’s defense lapsed, their goaltenders stood strong for the shutout.

“When we play the better teams, we’ve obviously got to be aware — no disrespect to AFU —  but we’ve got to be worried that our turnovers were going to lead to maybe counterattacks, which is where we were today,” Chapman said. “We got a little bit off. But I think in the first game, you want to get a win. We had a big crowd, big home crowd, and lots to build on, but lots of positives tonight.”

And where else would the team go to celebrate such a big first win than right where they started the night — O’Sullivan’s.

“I can’t wait to celebrate after,” Contreras said, smiling. “Our whole team’s about to go to  O’Sullivan’s.”

Decatur FC plays its next home game on June 7 versus Georgia Impact.

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