Harrison, N.J.- After three tough road games to start their inaugural season, Denver Summit FC have their first ever win. It was a feel good night all around as they beat Gotham FC 2-0. And with The Kickoff at Mile High on Saturday against contender Washington Spirit, it could not have come at a better time.
First half:
The first half was a competitive one, but lacking in dangerous chances. Both teams were probing. Summit had more of the ball and were generally good at it. They looked more like Manchester City Women in this match than the previous two. The best chance of the half was a through ball to Melissa Kössler in the 22nd minute. She took a touch to set up a 1-v-1 with goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, but the keeper made the point blank save.
Second half: Three Goals in Three Games
In the second half, the roles switched a big. Gotham had plenty of energy and more of the ball. Denver pressed more and played for the counter attack.
In the 58th, rookie Yuna McCormack in her second ever start, threaded a ball to the outside for Kössler to run onto. The German took a good touch to then slow down and pick her head up. There was no missing it this time. She picked her spot and scored. The 26-year-old now has three goals through her first three games in NWSL. She’s just the second player to do so.
“Honestly, the first two goals were just amazing assists. I had one chance in the first half, which I didn’t score. I kind of make the second one, I had to. Pressured myself. I’m really happy about that,” Kössler told Burgundy Wave.
“She’s showing how clinical she is. She is growing everyday,” Nick Cushing said of the striker after his first NWSL win.
“We got our goals in four or less passes. If we can increase that volume and that defensively threat, we’ll win more games. One we can definitely build on.”
On 66 minutes, Jordynn Dudley had a sharp angle shot on a fast break, which goalkeeper Abby Smith saved.
Tash Flint sees out the match:
Tash Flint gave Denver some breathing room in the 73rd. Summit pressed Gotham off a throw in for the home side. The ball made its way back to Berger. Flint crashed the net against fellow former WSL player. She picked the ball off Berger and passed it into the net to make it 0-2.
“She’s definitely got the quality to play at the highest level. Her technique is exceptional. Still more to come,” Cushing said of his former Manchester City academy player.
“It worked out really well. You could see Gotham was struggling,” added Kössler. “We stick with our game plan and got the second goal.”
Smith made two big more plays before the match ended. She denied Dudley again point-blank in 86th. Then in stoppage time, of which there was 10 minutes, she went up for a cross. Smith collided with a Gotham player, but got the ball and won the foul. She remained in the game.
The match finished 0-2.
“The Kickoff” at Mile High: Already a Record Breaker
Summit travel home to Denver where they will finally play their first home game. “The Kickoff” is Saturday at Mile High Stadium against Washington Spirit. Kickoff is set for 12 noon M.T. They have already sold 50,000 tickets for the match (Kössler said it might be 55,000 now), smashing the existing NWSL single-game attendance record of 40,091 set by Bay FC hosting Spirit at Oracle Park last August.
“It’s a huge three points to take into the game this weekend,” said Flint. “I think we deserve that win tonight. After the whistle went, we’re all on a high.”
Cushing doubled down, saying “Tonight, to sustain that throughout defensively and offensively was really important for us with the home opener but also really important for us in the journey and the process.”
Anybody who cares about Colorado Soccer should be there.
Read More: The Ultimate Denver Soccer Litmus Test
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John Babiak 
Katherine Ammon 