Decatur FC wins its first away match

On Saturday afternoon, Decatur FC traveled to Music City for the club’s first-ever away game. And even though rain soaked the FC Nashville Wolves fields, it wasn’t enough to dampen the team’s blistering start to the game that ultimately led them to a 6-0 victory.

“We adjusted to the conditions from the start of the game,” Decatur coach Campbell Chapman said. “I took the lead, scored a good goal early and from then on I didn’t think we were in danger of losing the game. (It was) just a matter of how many we were going to score.

After several good runs into the box in the opening minutes of the match, Emma Chapman nailed the ball into the corner of the goal to open the scoring. A few minutes later, Breanna Barley received a cross on the right side of the field. Barley waited for the goalkeeper and centered the ball into the goal, and Decatur’s lead expanded to two.

Minutes later, Decatur FC’s offense succeeded after a poor Nashville punt left the ball far inside the Wolves’ zone, and after several quick Decatur passes, Cameryn Maddox sent the ball in the goal for a 3-0 lead.

“The third goal was a lucky goal following some sort of mistake by the keeper,” Chapman said. “Because what we couldn’t see on the pitch was that the ball was soaked, and it slipped, and then three zeros at halftime.”

For much of the first half, Decatur FC was on the attack. It seemed at times that the ball was being played on only half the field as Decatur repeatedly surrounded Nashville in its own zone and collected clearances that turned into scoring chances.

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But in the second half, the Wolves came out strong. The game became more balanced on the court as Nashville attacked more aggressively and had several high-danger scoring chances throughout the half. But Decatur FC’s defense remained strong, repeatedly taking the ball away from the Wolves and returning it downfield to their offensive teammates. And where the defense faltered, the aggressive play of goalkeepers Jaddah Foos and Kaitlin Sinkler kept Nashville off the scoresheet.

“We’re a very offensive team,” Chapman said. “We overload in the front areas to try and put pressure on the other team, which sometimes leaves us exposed at the back. But you know, the girls behind… are fantastic athletes. If there is a mistake made by any of them, then we have to fix it, but again, all the credit goes to Jaddah. She came out, made some good plays in key areas where the ball kind of slowed down in the water, and she was brave and came out and Kaitlin obviously came in and did her job.

Decatur didn’t allow the Wolves to build momentum for long either. Cameryn Maddox scored her second goal of the game after a Nashville miss landed at her feet at the top of the box. She fired into the bottom right corner to extend the lead to four. Jazmin Ferguson scored her first goal of the season with a header off a corner kick to give Decatur FC a 5-0 lead, and Maysoon El-Shami sealed the game with a long shot that ricocheted off a Nashville player and in the net to bring the score to 6. -0.

Decatur FC’s performance was once again dominant, as in their opening 5-0 victory over the Atlanta Fire FC. And despite a few defensive errors, the team held on to earn their second victory.

Their six goals also earned their coach a little extra.

“(Team owner) Gareth (O’Sullivan) told me if we got 6 he would give me a pint in the pub later,” laughed Chapman.

Decatur FC plays again on Friday, June 7 at 7 p.m. at Decatur High School against Georgia Impact.