Decatur girls soccer notches first win in big style, take down Auburn

Winless no more, the Decatur High School girls soccer team roared to an 8-2 win over Auburn on Sept. 19 after two shutout losses in their previous pair of games.

“It felt good. We’ve been struggling with winning this year and last year. It’s been hard for us, but it feels good getting a win. It gets our confidence up,” said junior Vanessa Garcia.

Decatur didn’t hesitate to get going early with a goal from sophomore Juliana Delucio with an assist from junior Malaya Brown. The goal snapped a two-week dry spell without a goal for the Gators, dating back to Sept. 5 in a 2-2 draw against Silas.

“I think they learned a lot from the first game we played. We were up 2-0 and ended up tying the game. They didn’t want that happening again. They showed up today,” said Head Coach Sean Davis.

Before fans could get settled into their seats, Decatur scored twice — the second goal coming in the fifth minute. Delucio was on the passing end this time, finding Lani Smith O’Brien for the Gators’ second goal.

It was a peculiar start for the Gators because the day before, they didn’t have the best practice.

“I’ll be honest, yesterday’s practice wasn’t great. But they came out today and showed well,” said Davis.

In the 14th minute, Decatur got their season-high third goal. Freshman Kaihea Tuifua sent a great pass to Amani Hussen, who streaked down the left side and shot a bullet into the net for Decatur’s third goal of the evening.

“We had a lot of good freshmen come in and even some upperclassmen come back out. I think it’s starting to show offensively especially. We’ve got some good offensive players and have more depth. I think that is helping,” Davis said.

One minute later, Tuifua got her first goal of the game, showing the type of impact the freshman can make on the game. Brown got her second assist as she found her teammate at the top of the 18 yard box, giving the Gators a 4-0 lead.

“She’s like a firecracker,” said Davis. “She wouldn’t even tell me if she has a broken leg. She played well… I’m excited to have her for the next four years,” Davis added.

Before the halftime whistle blew, Decatur was able to get two more goals. Hussen distributed the ball to Vanessa Garcia for a goal in the 18th minute and in the 32nd minute. Tuifua got her second of the half, putting Decatur up big 6-0.

“I think we’re really determined on getting each goal in and scoring. It shows how we put in the work to win and we work as a team,” Garcia said.

The six goals were the most Decatur had scored since 2015, surpassing their previous record of five back in 2021 in a win over Kent-Meridian.

In the second half, the Gators kept their foot on the gas. O’Brien got her second goal of the game with a rocket from 20 yards away, giving the Gators a 7-0 lead.

The final Decatur goal of the game came on a corner kick from Garcia, which found the right leg of Alexa Galmichi for Decatur’s eighth goal of the night.

The Gators had six different goal scorers in the win over the Trojans, and depth is something that Decatur girls soccer just hasn’t had in a while.

“The depth helps the amount of talent we have as a team. We’re more versatile and I think it will help us in the long run. We’re a young team, only one senior that pretty much starts, and they’ll be back together,” Davis said.

Decatur allowed two late goals, but Coach Davis can look past those and see the quality of play Sophie Walker played for the majority of her half in goal. Walker has been getting better day by day: “She’s never played soccer before, she’s a softball player. She’s been improving every day, and she knows she’s right there to be a starter. I think we have some great goalies,” Davis said.

Some players see the win as signifying a culture change for the Gators girls soccer program.

“Last couple of years we’ve been struggling. But I feel like this game built our confidence up and showed that if we really put the work into it, we can really win,” Garcia said.

Decatur takes on another team looking to improve their 2023 season in the Evergreen Wolverines (SEA) on Sept. 23 at Decatur.