Last minute heartbreak: Hornets hand Gators first loss of the season

Once the season began, Decatur High School girls soccer head coach Sean Davis knew that White River was going to be a team to look out for. On Sept. 30, he was proven right, as the Hornets handed Decatur its first loss of the season 3-2 and its first league loss since Oct. 2 last season.

“I watched them against Beamer for the first game of the season and I was like, they are going to be the ones. Enumclaw will be there, but White River will be the ones (at the top),” Davis said.

Davis saw a lot of similarities between the loss to White River this time around and the loss to Enumclaw last year. It can serve as a boost for the Gators this season, just like it did a year prior.

“Sometimes a loss is a good thing at times. Last year when we lost to Enumclaw, I think it actually motivated us more to push harder at the end of the season,” Davis said.

80+3 Goal White River 3-2
Wow, Lillian Banks finishes off this corner kick for more than likely the game deciding goal.
Gators can't quite get a handle on it and Banks in there to capitalize. pic.twitter.com/6bduTnmbrG
— Ben Ray (@bigplaybenray) October 1, 2025

This year’s game, Decatur was battling and finally broke through and appeared like they would steal a point in the standings after being down 2-0 late in the second half. But goals from Kaiser Tuifua and Amani Hussein turned the game upside down and gave Decatur hope.

“We knew we were close to getting through a few times. At halftime we told them if we got one in, momentum is going to change and it did,” Davis said.

White River was coming off of their best win of the season over the weekend, and a 4-1 beating of Kentlake at home showed how dangerous the Hornets could be. Against Decatur they showed that potential to take over games.

“They are a kick and run team. They are really good at getting the ball to their forwards,” Davis said.

Inside the first 30 minutes, Decatur and White River were relatively even. Both sides exchanged looks at goal, but no clear threats until White River started putting heavy pressure down the right sideline. Eventually, Lillian Banks broke through with time and space before dropping a pass back to Adalyn Sykes. The senior midfielder beat Maddie Bell near post and put White River on top 1-0 in the 27th minute.

At halftime, Davis wanted to be within one or two of the Hornets, as Decatur was playing into the wind. They accomplished his goal, but what wasn’t was letting White River take a 2-0 lead.

Riley Soule and Adalyn Sykes celebrate a goal against Decatur. Ben Ray / The Mirror

There was a point of emphasis from the midfield of Decatur to press White River to try and level the game. But what ended up happening was they were vulnerable to a counter attack and the Hornets did just that.

Senior midfielder Riley Soule kept play alive and lobbed a shot into the back of the net to give White River a favorable lead in the 54th minute.

Time was on the Gators’ side, and with a player that holds the skills that Kaiser Tuifua has, any lapse can allow Decatur back in the game. All evening, White River had one defender on Tuifua the entire game. Anywhere she went, a defender followed and she was quickly double teamed. Despite the pressure, she smashed a left footed shot off the cross bar that went over the line in the 68th minute.

“She’s scored against every team so far. Coming back from 30 goals, we keep reminding her players are going to be on her. In the end we have players around her and we keep trying to remind her to trust her other players,” Davis said.

The goal brought Decatur back to life and just two minutes later, Amani Hussen brought the Gators back to level terms with White River, and in the final 10 minutes had a chance to win a game because three minutes ago they trailed by two goals.

But what actually transpired ended the game in heartbreak. As the referee signaled two minutes of added time, White River had a corner kick. Decatur couldn’t clear their lines and a loose ball felt the foot of Banks to give White River the 3-2 win.

Amani Hussen hits a shot against White River for Decatur’s second goal of the game. Ben Ray / The Mirror

Decatur goalie Madison Bell, despite allowing three goals, played extremely well. Time and time again, when White River was on the attack, she made some timely reactionary saves. Davis credited her for playing a role in the Gators’ ability to come back.

“It started in the back with Maddie in goal. She made some good saves. She was outstanding,” Davis said.

Decatur hosts Thomas Jefferson on Oct. 2, and for Decatur, it is about taking the season one game at a time.

“We are going to try and get everybody healthy and take it one game at a time. Last year we went into the playoffs banged up pretty bad. The goal this year is to make sure we get healthy for playoffs, at least to get there.”