SAN JOSE — One hard slide tackle turned Denver Summit FC’s inaugural match sour.
After more than a year of build-up for Colorado’s National Women’s Soccer League expansion franchise, the air went out of the ball in the span of four minutes on Saturday at PayPal Park in a 2-1 defeat to Bay FC.
Summit FC captain Janine Sonis, a Valor Christian graduate and one of the club’s local headliners, delivered a beautiful crossing pass that led to Denver’s first-ever goal, scored by Melissa Kössler at the 20-minute mark. But six minutes later, Sonis was issued a red card, changing the course of the match for good.
Summit FC head coach Nick Cushing lamented his side’s lack of offense, before and after Sonis’ ejection.
“There’s such a frustration now because we didn’t create enough,” Cushing said. “And we didn’t get the opportunity with 11 players to create enough.
“… We want to get on the ball more. When I reflect and watch the game, the first 25 minutes, we have to have more of the ball and have more courage with the ball and play forwards and attack them more. That’s the team that we will be and that’s the team that we’re going to be.”
Four minutes after Sonis was sent off, Bay FC scored to retake the lead. Down to 10 players, Summit FC never truly threatened the rest of the match.
Bay FC controlled the tempo in the early part of the first half as Denver looked out of sorts. The home team struck first with Alex Pfeiffer’s goal at the seven-minute mark, after Pfeiffer got a good go ball upfield, pulled her dribble back in the right side of the box as a couple of Summit FC defenders overpursued, and then put home a clean shot to the bottom left corner to beat Smith.
From there, the Denver offense started to wake up, including a solid chance off a Carson Pickett corner kick that didn’t pan out. While goalie Abby Smith turned away a couple of Bay FC scoring opportunities, including sprinting out and sliding to deflect a potential goal out of bounds, Summit FC got on the board at the 19-minute mark.
Pickett sent a perfect pass to the streaking Sonis down the left sideline, and Sonis’ cross found Kössler’s boot as she sprinted into the box and split a pair of Bay FC defenders. The ball went top left shelf for the equalizer as Kössler tumbled to the turf, then immediately got up and raised her hands.
But those Mile High vibes quickly dissipated when Sonis was ejected following a hard slide tackle on Pfeiffer, who immediately dropped to the ground in pain, grabbing her left leg. The play was initially deemed a yellow card, but after a review, it was upgraded to a red card because Sonis came sliding in with the bottom of her cleat in the air. Sonis was not made available for comment postgame.
“It’s unfortunate because (Sonis) slid early trying to get the block and (her cleat) just happened to go into the shin,” Summit FC defender Kaleigh Kurtz said. ‘So it looks probably a little more egregious (in slow-motion) than I thought it was. But that’s what (replay) is for, so it’s a tough call.”
With Summit FC down to 10 players, Bay FC took advantage, with Joelle Anderson scoring four minutes later. Off a Bay FC free kick, Pfeiffer possessed the ball in the Denver box, weaved her way through the visiting defense, then found Anderson at the top of the box. Anderson’s low shot snuck past four defenders and was deflected before getting past a diving Smith into the bottom left side of the net.
In the second half, Smith had a handful of incredible saves to keep the score at 2-1, including leaping up to snare a crossing pass and stopping two shots on breakaways. But the Denver offense, which increased the pressure in the final minutes of the match, couldn’t find the back of the net again.
“I thought our back four and the goalkeeper kept us in the game,” Cushing said.
Summit FC has two more road matches at the Orlando Pride (March 20) and Gotham FC (March 25) before coming home for its inaugural match on March 28 against the Washington Spirit at Empower Field. The club has sold over 50,000 tickets for that match, which will set an attendance record for a U.S. professional women’s sporting event.
“I really hate losing, so it’s tough now because I know the desire and the (championship) ambition that this team has and our organization has,” Cushing said. “But it’s game one, so nothing’s (truly) lost yet.”
