Denver Summit FC vs Bay FC Match Notes
Published on September 16, 2026 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Denver Summit FC News Release
After opening its inaugural season in San Jose, Denver Summit FC (8-8-7, 31 pts) will welcome Bay FC (6-13-4, 22 pts) to Centennial Stadium for a Wednesday night matchup kicking off at 7:30 p.m. MDT.
The last time these clubs met on the pitch was in the Summit's inaugural opener on the road on March 14, where they fell 2-1 to Bay. Despite the loss, the Summit walked away with their first goal in franchise history thanks to a 20' tally from Melissa Kössler, assisted by Co-Captain Janine Sonis.
The Summit enters the match with a 5-3-3 home record, with a current three match winning streak on Centennial soil dating back to Aug. 5 (L - 2-0 vs Louisville Racing). On the other side of the pitch, Bay FC is 3-7-2 on the road with its last away victory coming against Racing Louisville on July 10 (2-0).
Playing eight clubs more than once this season, Denver has yet to be swept by an opponent with Bay being the ninth squad they will face off against for the second time. So far this season, the Summit have only dropped two matches against opponents they've already faced, going 3-2-3 and picking up 12 points in the process.
In their last nine contests, Bay has dropped seven matches, posting a 1-7-1 record, currently sitting on a three-match losing streak. The squad has held a lead in just two of those nine contests, maintaining an advantage for a total of only eight minutes and 36 seconds. Denver is currently on a three match unbeaten streak that includes two wins and a draw.
The Summit have scored a total of 12 goals in their last three matches, with Bay scoring 12 in their last 11 contests. Overall Denver enters the match tied for third in the league in goals per match (1.6) while Bay FC sits in 15th (1.0).
The Summit continue to excel in the opening 15' of the second half, with all three of their goals against Angel City coming during that stretch and bringing their season total to 11 goals scored in the opening 15 minutes after halftime.
More than half of Bay's goals this season have come within the opening 30 minutes (13), a stretch that has been the least threatening for the Summit, who have conceded just four goals during that span. Neither squad has recorded a win when trailing at both halftime and the 75th minute.
Bay FC has only conceded 32 goals on the season, just two more than the Summit, putting them tied for sixth in the league in goals conceded per match (1.4), while the Summit sits tied for fifth (1.3).
LAST TIME OUT:
In the club's final franchise first face-off, Denver Summit FC (8-8-7, 31 pts) traveled to LA to take on Angel City FC (9-8-6, 33 pts) at BMO Stadium, earning a point after a 3-3 draw.
After 44 minutes of deadlock play in the first half, Angel City broke open the score with a 45th minute zinger from Maiara Niehuse outside of the box and, despite entering the second half down a goal, the Summit evened things up and took the lead with quick back-to-back scores from inside the box ... with just 59 seconds in between the goals, Yuzuki Yamamoto and Lindsey Heaps became the fastest back-to-back goal scorers for the same team in league history.
Scoring in her third consecutive match, it was rookie Yuzuki who found the back of the net for the first equalizer in the 48', assisted by Melissa Kössler, who saw her third goal contribution in as many matches and first assist in the league ... less than one minute later, Denver came back for more as Yazmeen Ryan sent a shot deflecting off the cross bar that landed in Denver Summit Captain Lindsey Heaps' path, with the Colorado native finding the back of the net.
Heaps' goal marked the first in her return to the NWSL, with her last tally coming against Houston on Oct. 18, 2021 ... in her first season with the Summit Heaps has tallied two match-winning assists and a single goal.
Coming in with her 10th goal of the season in the 61st minute, Janine Sonis found a perfectly placed pass by Delanie Sheehan, the midfielder's second assist of the season, putting the Summit up two ... the third goal by the Summit was Angel City's first time conceding three at home since May 24, 2025 (2-3 vs Louisville Racing).
In the 63' Angel City's Prisca Chilufya, within seconds of coming off the bench, was able to put ACFC within one ... the squad closed the gap 10 minutes later with a converted penalty kick from Ally Sentnor that solidified the final score.
After missing three matches due to a knee injury, starting keeper Abby Smith returned to the goal for the first time since the club's 1-1 draw against San Diego ... the veteran totalled three saves on the night.
PUSH TO THE PLAYOFFS
After picking up a single point in last weekend's matchup against Angel City, Denver remains in the 10th place spot on the table, just two points away from ninth.
Seattle's weekend win over Bay FC put the eighth place playoff spot six points out of reach for Denver (37 points).
With a win on Wednesday, Denver has the possibility to take over the ninth place spot from Angel City who sits in ninth place with 33 points.
CHAMPIONSHIP TAKE DOWN
A midday rematch at home against Gotham on Sept. 6 solidified the Summit as the sole team to sweep Gotham this season (2-0) and second expansion squad in league history to sweep a reigning champion in the regular season (Angel City against Washington Spirit in 2022).
The Summit handed Gotham its first loss since July 4 (2-0 vs San Diego), snapping a 10-match unbeaten streak. Denver remains undefeated against top-three opponents at Centennial Stadium (Portland, Utah, Gotham) this season.
The Summit's three goals tied for the second most at home this season and marked them as the first squad to score three on the reigning champions in the 2026 campaign, with Gotham not falling to three or more goals since 2025 decision day (3-2 vs NC Courage).
FAMILIAR FACES
With a roster backed by multiple seasoned NWSL veterans, the Summit boasts one past Gotham FC players on their squad.
Abby Smith (16 GP, 42 SV, 15 GA, 73.7 SV%), Yazmeen Ryan (58 GP, 8 G, 7 A) and Delanie Sheehan (71 GP, 3 G, 7 A) all spent overlapping seasons with Gotham. All three were members of the 2023 NWSL Championship and 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup squads.
Getting drafted by Gotham in 2021 as the third overall pick, Sheehan spent the '21-'24 seasons in New York while Smith and Ryan saw the '23 and '24 seasons.
Joining Gotham in 2018, defender Janine Sonis saw a total of 15 matches before departing from the league to play for Manchester City.
Joining in July 2025 as a National Team replacement player, Meg Boade was a member of the Gotham squad prior to joining the Summit.
GOING FOR THE GOAL
Scoring their ninth goal from outside the box against Angel City, the Summit are tied for the most in a single regular season in NWSL history (Pride - '16; Spirit '14).
With her goal at Angel City, Co-Captain Janine Sonis is continuing her career-best season with 14 goal contributions (10 goals, four assists) with nine of those coming in the last 10 matches, solidifying her sixth-place spot in the 2026 NWSL Golden Boot race. At ACFC she became the eighth player in the league this season with a goal tally in the double digits.
Sonis now ties for second amongst the league in goal contributions from a player in an inaugural season ('22, Morgan (SAN) - 17; '17, Biyendolo (NC) - 14) and is now three goals away from passing her combined goal total from her last six seasons in the league (12).
Yazmeen Ryan's goal against her former squad Gotham FC on Sept. 6 signified her sixth of the season, overtaking her single-season record with Gotham ('24). Combined with her Sept 6 assist, Ryan has 10 goal contributions on the season, tying for the most in her career ('24).
The Summit has scored 12 goals in their last three matches, with six players sinking the 12 tallies (Ryan - 1, Yuzuki - 3, Thomas - 2, Sonis- 2, Kossler - 2, Flint - 1, Heaps - 1).
Rookies Olivia Thomas and Yuzuki Yamamoto sit as two of nine rookies to score multiple goals this season, with the pair scoring in back-to-back fashion against Chicago and Gotham FC and Yuzuki scoring an additional goal against Angel City FC.
Denver Summit is just the seventh team in NWSL history to score at least nine times in a span of two regular-season matches and the first to do so in its inaugural NWSL season.
Over half of the Summit squad have scored at least one goal this season, with six of the 10 scoring multiple times and four of the 10 tallying five or more goals. Denver is the first team in NWSL history to have at least four players with five or more goals in their inaugural season.
LOOK TO THE PEAK:
In the league the Summit sits amongst the top eight in overall possession this season, with a seventh place spot and 51.1% possession throughout their 23 matches.
At the conclusions of week 21, the Summit continues to hold the top spot in accurate long balls per 90 (Gaetino, 5.0) and chances created (Ryan, 48)
Despite missing three matches due to injury, Abby Smith remains atop the league, taking second in recoveries per 90 (11.1) and fourth in goals prevented (6.6).
In their inaugural season, the Summit continues to sit atop the league in average attendance, taking home the second spot in the league with an average of 18,267 fans joining at their 11 home matches this season.
Denver remains in the top-three in big chances (64) and goals per match (1.6) and fourth in set piece goals (6).
Ryan also continues to lead the league, coming in second in big chances created (13) and expected assists (5.6), with defender Kaleigh Kurtz continuing to be a leader in the league in blocks per 90, tying for third (1.1).
Denver became the second team in league history to have three different players score four goals within the team's first 10 games (Melissa Kössler, Tash Flint and Janine Sonis) (last being Seattle in 2015 (Fishlock, Little, Yanez).
IRON WOMAN:
Defender Kaleigh Kurtz extended her consecutive start streak to 137 games and has also played 12,292 consecutive regular-season minutes, every possible regular-season minute since June 26, 2021. Both marks are the longest active streaks in the league.
Kurtz is on the way to becoming a five-time ironwoman after securing a league-record four time ironwoman title at the conclusion of the 2025 season. She enters week 22 as one of nine players to see every minute of match play this season.
On Aug. 8 vs Utah, Kurtz appeared in her 150th career regular-season game, becoming the first field player in league history to start every one of her first 150 appearances. The only players who have previously reached 150 appearances and started all of them are goalkeepers Jane Campbell and Kailen Sheridan.
Due to injury goalkeeper Abby Smith fell out of the 2026 ironwoman race on August 22.
MILE-STONE WATCH
Summit keeper Abby Smith is just one clean sheet away from reaching her 20th career shutout, solidifying her as the 14th keeper to achieve the mark when it happens.
Defender Carson Pickett played her 198th regular-season match against Chicago on Aug. 29, now sitting just two appearances away from becoming the 11th player in league history to see 200.
Co-Captain Janine Sonis sits at 144 career league appearances putting her on track to enter the 150 club by the conclusion of the season.
Yuzuki Yamamoto has scored the second most consecutive goals amongst rookies this season (Maiara Niehues - 5), a goal against Bay would put her in first amongst the Summit, currently tied with Melissa Kössler.
BY THE NUMBERS:
11 - Over half of the Summit squad (11) have scored at least one goal this season, with six scoring more than once and four scoring five or more goals.
10 - Yazmeen Ryan (10) and Janine Sonis (13) are the first pair of teammates to record 10 or more goal contributions in an expansion squad's inaugural season.
13 - Entering week 22, the Summit holds a top-four spot in the league in 12 categories:
1st in chances created (Ryan, 48)
1st in accurate long balls per 90 (Gaetino, 5.0)
2nd in recoveries per 90 (Smith, 11.1)
2nd in attendance (18,267)
T-2nd in Big Chances created (Ryan, 13)
3rd in expected assists (Ryan, 5.6)
3rd in big chances (64)
T-3rd in blocks per 90 (Kurtz, 1.1)
T-3rd in goals per match (1.6)
4th in goals prevented (Smith, 6.6)
4th in accurate crosses per match (4.8)
T-4th in set piece goals (6)
National Women's Soccer League Stories from September 16, 2026
- Denver Summit FC vs Bay FC Match Notes - Denver Summit FC
- Utah Royals FC Extends Forward Cloé Lacasse Through 2028 - Utah Royals FC
- NC Courage Acquire Gianna Paul from Kansas City Current - North Carolina Courage
- Kansas City Current Trades Forward Gianna Paul to North Carolina Courage - Kansas City Current
- Chicago Stars FC Transfers Midfielder Manaka Hayashi to Juventus - Chicago Stars FC
- Orlando Pride and Forward Gabi Nunes Mutually Agree to Contract Termination - Orlando Pride
- 'I'm Here to Stay': Barbra Banda Excited to Continue Journey with Orlando Pride - Orlando Pride
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