The Decatur High School girls soccer team appears like they are ready to repeat as league champions as they cleared the one hurdle that tripped them up last season. This year’s Gators downed Enumclaw 4-3 on the road on Sept. 10 at Pete’s Pool.
Last season, Decatur’s one regular season loss was at this very fixture against Enumclaw, 2-0, and was the only game Decatur failed to score in all year.
“Before we came out here I told them the atmosphere was going to be tough. We are a younger team with a lot of new players. It was kind of nerve-racking for them. In the end, it’s reality, and this is one of the toughest places to play in the league, here and White River,” Head Coach Sean Davis said.
The Gators fell behind inside of 10 minutes after Enumclaw senior Sutton Kelsey smashed a right-footed shot over the head of Decatur keeper Maddie Bell.
But the Enumclaw lead only lasted for eight minutes before 3A NPSL Offensive Player of the Year Kaihea Tuifua found her footing. The junior, who scored over 30 goals last season, scored her first of the night as Decatur leveled the score in the 16th minute.
Kaihea Tuifua attempts to possess the ball for Decatur. Photos by Ben Ray / The Mirror
Decatur rode that momentum to a second goal in the first half as Amani Hussen, a senior winger, scored her first goal of the night. It was similar to Tuifua’s goal where Hussen held possession and when a window opened to shoot, she drilled it past the Enumclaw keeper.
Enumclaw leveled just before halftime and the two sides went to the locker rooms tied at 2-2. Decatur appeared to have shaken the demons from last season and was doing so on the backs of possibly their two biggest threats with the ball at their feet.
In the second half, Decatur continued to dominate possession. In the 57th minute, Decatur built up from the midfield and Juliana Delucio sent a perfect through ball to free Tuifua down the field and she used her speed to give Decatur a 3-2 lead.
Decatur continued that momentum with a pair of corner kicks, and after switching the kick taker, Tuifua sent a corner that found the head of Lavinia Suazo. The ball caromed off the Enumclaw goalkeeper and Hussen was there to clean up and scored her second goal of the match.
64' 4-2 Decatur
Hussen gets her second goal of the night on a ball that escapes Enumclaw keeper Kami Bullock.
Tuifua received a yellow for delaying the restart.
Second half has been all Decatur. pic.twitter.com/MZvOnd2JJ3
— Ben Ray (@bigplaybenray) September 11, 2025
Hussen and Tuifua have greatly improved their chemistry. The two weren’t as close last season as they are this year, which gives Davis a lot of hope for what is to come for Decatur this season.
“It’s been a lot better this year. Amani played outside all year last year. This year we moved her to be the 10 in the middle of the field. She didn’t want that at first, but she started scoring, so I think she’s starting to like it,” Davis said.
Additionally, a couple of freshmen have made a significant impact for the Gators this season. Laruny Suazo was forced to take on Kelsey for a majority of the game and limited the striker for extended periods of time.
“She’s a great asset coming in this year as a freshman, especially since we lost our center back (Samantha Hackney). It’s great to have her, she was moving from side to side to watch number 7 (Kelsey). She’s an ECNL player, came in playing with her two sisters (Uwany and Lavinia). Her and Nia have great chemistry back there,” Davis said.
Fellow freshman Jivan Bhangu had some success from the right wing in both the first and second half. She is filling a role that was needed after Alexa Galmichi graduated last season, and Bhangu even took on the same number as Galmichi.
“I want to see that effort all year long,” Davis said. “We call her the mini Alexa Galmichi who graduated last year. She saw who she was, she took on 19 like her and played the same position. It’s a fun inside joke to have as a team. She works really hard. She’s hard on herself and is very competitive,” Davis said on his freshman winger.
Lavinia Suazo tries to bait an Enumclaw defender. Photos by Ben Ray / The Mirror
Despite allowing a third goal in the final minutes of the game, Maddie Bell in goal had a very solid performance stopping Enumclaw chances all night. Her second half improvements gave her teammates and Davis peace of mind to take care of the game on offense.
“She made some good saves. In the first 10-15 minutes she wasn’t seeing where her posts were. But she fixed it. I can’t ask for anything more. She’s very coachable and showed it in the second half,” Davis said.
So far the Gators are undefeated through three games this season. They have scored 16 goals and allowed just a goal per game. Last year through the first three games, Decatur also scored 16 goals, and this year’s side is looking for the same results as last season.
“The offense is outstanding. A lot of girls are playing in different positions at time. They are buying in, which is a great thing to have as a coach,” Davis said.
Decatur will look to continue this momentum as they take on Federal Way on Sept. 16 with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
