The Decatur Gator boys soccer team hopes that their most recent win over Todd Beamer High School, 5-1, can be an embodiment of their season when all is said and done.

“We are a great team of individual players, but we are still learning how to play together,” Manager Dom Dismuke said.

After winning their first game of the season over Thomas Jefferson High School back on March 14, the Gators went on to tie the following game with Kent-Meridian before dropping four straight games, crashing to the bottom of the table.

“We have been very, very close in those games (we have lost). It seems like there have been one or two things that just haven’t gone our way. Tonight it was beautiful to see. It was a culmination of what we have been going through all season,” Dismuke said.

Decatur would not lose a fifth game as they defeated their cross-town rivals Todd Beamer on April 2 with their highest goal total under the leadership of Dismuke. It’s been a long time since the Gators have seen a five on their side of the scoreboard — the last time that happened was back on April 11, 2022, in a 5-0 victory against Todd Beamer.

The star of the night was junior forward Diego Martinez-Rios, who netted his first career goal in a Gator uniform and ended the night with two more and an assist to boot.

“It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I feel like we have been the better team a lot of the games, but we just got unlucky,” Martinez-Rios said.

“Being a part of four goals feels great,” he added.

Dismuke had started Martinez-Rios all season, but on this night, he brought him in as a substitution after Todd Beamer scored the game’s first goal. He wanted to see what fire Martinez-Rios would bring.

“I wanted to see a positive reaction and that is exactly what I saw from him tonight. I told him that’s what I wanted to see and he went out and did it,” Dismuke said.

He scored every goal in a different way — the first via penalty in the 20th minute. The second, he was on the end of a brilliant cross from Angel Blanco, and the third, he found a loose ball at his feet and placed a perfect shot that froze the Titan keeper in his place.

“It was a confidence booster for me, first ever goals of my high school career, so it feels good. It’s also good when I play with teammates that are always supportive and being around me,” Martinez-Rios said.

However, the night didn’t start out how the Gators wanted, similar to the season. Todd Beamer’s Bogdan Gozhiy just outworked the Decatur defense to find an opening on goal. The big and physical Gozhiy created a chance out of nothing and absolutely smashed a left-footed bazooka into the back corner of the net.

It’s not the first time Decatur has faced adversity in the first month of the season, and they responded accordingly.

“I’m so proud of them. I can’t be more proud of them just for their resilience and their drive to keep going. I told them the one thing we don’t do is quit,” Dismuke said.

The Gators took a 2-1 lead into halftime, and coming out of the locker room, scored more goals in the second half than they have in five games this season, including their one win.

After Martinez-Rios capped off his hat trick in the 50th minute, he was then responsible for the fourth goal. He dribbled the ball down the right sideline and sent a cross into the box that found the head of Jose Bonilla-Ruiz for the fourth goal of the night in the 58th minute.

At that point, the will of the Titans had been crushed, and the pushback from Todd Beamer seemed near impossible. Then in the final minutes of the game, Haakon Aegerter took a free kick that snuck its way into the corner for the Gators’ fifth goal of the evening.

The win meant a little bit more for Dismuke, as he was on the Titans’ staff for two years prior to being named the head coach at Decatur.

“It’s bittersweet. I love those guys over there, and I train a lot of those guys over there. I have personal bonds with them,” Dismuke said.

He’s built a culture in just a couple of short months that has changed the mentality of Decatur players. They are coming to the practice field ready to work hard and put in what it takes to be great — and are starting to see the results.

“It’s been great. I was talking with Angel (Blanco). We weren’t as excited to go to practice every day. We felt forced to go, the vibes were just off. With Coach Dom here, we have more energy at practice and the things he’s implementing are working,” Martinez-Rios said.

The Gators take on White River on April 7 before kicking off the back half of the season.

“Coach Dom has been telling us we need one win to turn the season around and hopefully this is that one win,” said Martinez-Rios.

Decatur teammates swarm Diego Martinez-Rios as he scores his second goal of the game. Ben Ray / The Mirror

Todd Beamer player takes a shot on goal against Decatur. Ben Ray / The Mirror