Five Takeaways for Denver Summit vs San Diego Wave

Commerce City, Colo.- After an international break, Denver Summit FC hosts their second home game against league frontrunners San Diego Wave. San Diego is 2-1 against the current top half of the table, whereas Denver is 0-0-3. Fans will have to come out to see if Denver can pull off an NWSL After Dark upset. If you haven’t already, read up on the Takeaways for Denver Summit vs Seattle Reign to get a better understanding of the team’s journey so far this season.

Previous Result: 0-0 Draw against Seattle Reign

Unofficial Record against SD: 1-0 (Denver Summit defeated San Diego in a preseason friendly 5-2)

In case you missed it, Denver Summit recorded their third tie of the season on April 4th against Seattle Reign. The team failed to connect offensively against an injured Seattle Reign but defenders Reid, Sonis, and Kurtz worked well to shut down the Reign offense.

Here’s five things to look for when Denver takes on Seattle Reign and San Diego Wave and USWNT player Kennedy Wesley.

The Match: Denver Summit hosts San Diego Wave

When: Saturday, April 25th at 6:45 PM MT

Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colorado

TV/Streaming: Ion

To Possess or Not Possess

While Denver Summit’s possession in the midfield continues to improve, San Diego will be the real test of Summit’s abilities. San Diego currently sits in second in the NWSL for average possession. Denver will either need to capitalize on big chances with less possession (something they have succeeded on this season) or have the tenacity to break up San Diego’s possession. One way Denver can force errors to create turnovers could be a high press offense.

Furthermore, Denver’s style of possession thus far has lacked the creativity that makes them hard to predict. Denver will need to be more invulnerable to 2025 Midfielder of the Year nominee (and my winner at heart) Kenza Dali.

Executing on the Attack

Summit has failed to score the past two games, and sits 13th in the league for average goals per match. In addition to connecting to Kossler, other players need to step up and diversify the attack. Tash Flint’s goal was essential versus Gotham, and she needs to take a page out of her USL days and make herself a Golden Boot contender. Hopefully some extra time during the international break helped her and other star forward Yazmeen Ryan settle in with the team.

The team still needs to prove they can be dangerous on set pieces and shots outside of the box. If I sound like a broken record, it’s because I am. Summit’s room for improvement on the offense is spacious to say the least, and the team can’t wait for Lindsey Heaps or any other rumored signings to bail them out in the summertime.

The Battle of the Defenses

Denver Summit and San Diego Wave are currently tied in the NWSL for the fewest goals allowed (three goals). Denver Summit’s Abby Smith will have to be up to the task of blocking San Diego’s shots – San Diego also leads the league on shots per target a game (according to Fotmob, San Diego averages 7.4 compared to Summit’s measly 2.6). Abby Smith has been the most reliable piece of the Summit defense, and it will be essential for her to continue to show up and show out. Kaleigh Kurtz and her counterpart will need to anchor the backline and keep up with top scorers Dudinha, Godfrey, and Barcenas. Since San Diego’s attack can be deadly (San Diego has two times the goals scored this season – eight to Denver’s four), if Denver wants to scrape by with at least one point from this game, they will not be allowed to be caught sleeping in the back.

Although center-back Kennedy Wesley will be a solid opponent, her counterpart Kristen McNabb has been a weak spot for the team. Summit will need to take advantage of her as well as inexperienced goalkeeper Leah Freeman. The more shots on target Summit can create, the better.

Player Availability

Players returning from injuries could also have an impact on the game. Per Taylor Vincent, Eva Gaetino and fullback Camryn Biegalski will be available for Saturday’s game. Biegalski will be available for the first time all season after managing a knee injury, whereas Gaetino will look to reclaim her spot in the starting lineup as she gets 90 minutes fit. Having depth and options in the center-back position will be useful, although Reid’s tenure during Gaetino’s injury might have convinced this author that Reid deserves the start for now.

Japanese national team star Yuzuki Yamamoto has also joined the team and has been seen at practices, so it is expected she will get some minutes. Yamamoto’s speed and footwork could prove essential on the wing to challenge the San Diego defense. Since Yamamoto did not get significant minutes during this past international break, some fans may be wondering if she has what it takes. See this game-winning goal from Yamamoto during the Asian Cup and take a sigh of relief. It’s possible Yamamoto will even take a spot in the starting lineup – potentially replacing Yuna.

Meanwhile, USWNT Catarino Macario unavailable after a heel injury has sidelined her the past few weeks. Other injuries including Trinity Armstrong’s SEI will weaken the Wave.

For availability updates a day prior to the game, follow Taylor Vincent on Bluesky.

Return from International Break

Both teams had players who joined their national teams for games during the April international break. However, Summit only had four players receive senior team call ups (Japan: Yamamoto; Canada: Regan, Sonis; France: Peyraud-Magnin) compared to San Diego’s nine (Colombia: Agudelo, Arias; U.S: Wesley; Brazil: Portilho, Dudinha, Ludmila; Jamaica: Van Zanten; France: Fazer, Morroni). Teams always come back different from breaks; the changes range from refreshed to lethargic. Summit can hope that the exhaustion of multiple international games in a short period along with international travel leads to a lethargic first game back for San Diego.

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