SAN JOSE — In the 26th minute of its inaugural match, Denver Summit FC lost its captain.
Defender Janine Sonis was issued a red card for a hard slide tackle into Bay FC’s Alex Pfeiffer in the first half of Denver’s 2-1 defeat at PayPal Park. A few minutes earlier, Sonis’ assist to Melissa Kössler tied the match 1-1.
Summit FC head coach Nick Cushing said that in real time, he thought the play — which occurred directly in front of the Denver sideline — “looked like a committed tackle, and I didn’t think it was a red card.”
“It comes from a player where there is no malicious intent there,” Cushing said after the game. “She’s just trying to win the ball, so really disappointed that it happened, but I can’t give my (full) opinion on it because I haven’t seen (the replay).”
The foul on Sonis, which occurred just past midfield in the Denver defensive half, was initially deemed a yellow card. But following a review, the foul was upgraded to a red card, and the Highlands Ranch native and Valor Christian alum was sent off.
After the tackle, Sonis popped up and immediately addressed the referee, appearing to apologize. She then checked on Pfeiffer, who was lying on the turf and clutching her left leg. Sonis slid on on the play with the studs of her left cleat off the ground, which resulted in the play being changed to a serious penalty after review. Sonis was not made available for comment postgame.
Without Sonis, Summit was down to 10 players and Bay FC immediately reasserted control of the match, scoring a few minutes later to go ahead. Denver failed to mount any significant offense after that en route to the 2-1 defeat.
Sonis’ ejection added to the tough day for NWSL expansion clubs, as the Boston Legacy also saw a player sent off in their inaugural match. Bianca St-Georges got two yellow cards, resulting in a red and her ejection from Boston’s 1-0 defeat to Gotham FC.
Cushing said that after watching the Boston match and then also seeing Sonis sent off, he believes “there has to be a slight level of wiggle room and a little bit of common sense” to red cards. Cushing added the red card given to St-Georges in the Boston game was “a bit harsh.”
“This is the first game for (Denver and Boston). This is opening day. The margin has to be a little bit wider (for a red card),” Cushing said. “We want to see 11 on 11 on the field.
“I get it, there are rules. I’m not judging this referee (who gave Sonis the red card), but I think the best referees understand how to apply the rules and the margin for those rules for the magnitudes of the occasion, whether you’ve got a championship game, whether you’ve got a local derby, whether you’ve got a game one from an expansion team.”
Sonis will be suspended for Summit FC’s next match on Friday in Orlando.
