It was deja vu all over again for Denver Summit FC, which dominated Sunday night’s game against the Houston Dash but came away with less than all three points in a 2-2 draw.
“Another one we should win, but we didn’t,” Summit head coach Nick Cushing said.
In a battle between two teams in the bottom half of the 16-team NWSL standings, No. 11 Denver and No. 12 Houston showed glimpses of brilliance but also showed why each is on the outside looking in at the eight-team playoff field.
Sunday’s match was Summit FC’s last at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. Its next match, against the Portland Thorns on Saturday, will be at Centennial Stadium, its temporary new home.
The deadlock was broken early by a thunderbolt of a shot from Denver Summit forward Yazmeen Ryan in the 14th minute. A short corner routine found Ryan outside the penalty box, and from about 25 yards out, she picked out the top corner. It was her third goal of the season, and it seemingly put Summit FC in the driver’s seat.
“Well, I think initially I was supposed to cross it, but I just had to figure it out,” Ryan said. “But yeah, I knew once I turned on my right, I had a little bit of time. Just getting it on target is something huge for me, so I felt it in the moment, and so I’m glad that it paid off.”
The Dash’s response was almost immediate. A long ball down the right flank caught Summit outside back Ayo Oke sleeping. The ensuing cross then bounced off a Dash player and found forward Kat Rader. With acres of space inside the Denver box, Rader kept cool and notched the equalizer at the 15th minute.
It is widely accepted within the soccer community that the minutes after scoring are when a team is at its most vulnerable. This proved to have some truth. It was also a crushing blow for a Denver side that had largely dominated the game to that point.
Moments before the first-half whistle was set to blow, Summit FC was given a golden opportunity to take the lead into halftime. Denver was awarded a penalty after Dash defender Cate Hardin took down Ally Brazier in the box. Summit defender Janine Sonis stepped up and slotted the penalty home to restore the lead right before halftime.
Dash forward Kalyssa van Zanten had two golden opportunities to find the back of the net right before halftime, with both plays looking very similar. Houston players were finding success with crosses into the middle, but couldn’t knock in the equalizer.
It did not take long for Summit’s lead to vanish, however. Two minutes into the second half, some well-worked Dash interplay cut through the Summit defense, and yet again, a cross from wide found an open Dash attacker. This time it was Linda Ullmark, and this time she made no mistake.
Summit standout Natasha Flint made her first appearance since late May, coming on as a second-half substitute. The injury that had kept her out for almost two months could keep her out no longer. Flint was immediately involved in a great chance for the Summit, but although she couldn’t capitalize, the benefit of having Flint back on the pitch was apparent.
It was another game the Summit largely dominated but couldn’t win. It has started to become a real trend for Cushing’s side, which can’t wait for the arrival of hometown star Lindsey Heaps on the pitch. Heaps returned to Denver last week and is slated to make her debut in a Summit FC jersey next weekend. At a press conference on Wednesday, Heaps said her goal is to raise the standard in Denver as the expansion club pushes for the NWSL playoffs.
