Centennial, Colo. – Following a loss away against the Washington Spirit, the Summit will look to record some points in a three-game home stretch. Against the Spirit, Ayo Oke did well to contain Trinity Rodman, but the team ultimately failed to execute offensively and defensively. The Summit’s next three games will be rapid succession home games, facing off against Boston Legacy (13th), North Carolina Courage (9th), and Utah Royals (3rd). Here’s six things to look for as Denver Summit works to get back in the running for playoffs.
This Week’s Matches
Denver Summit vs Boston Legacy
Legacy’s Previous Result: 1-0 Win over Kansas City Current
When: Sunday, August 2nd at 7PM MT
Where: Centennial Stadium
TV/Streaming: ESPN
Previous Faceoff against Boston Legacy: 3-2 Loss on May 3rd
Denver Summit vs North Carolina Courage
Courage’s Previous Result: 5-0 Win over Orlando Pride
When: Wednesday, August 5th at 8 PM MT
Where: Centennial Stadium
TV/Streaming: CBS Sports
Denver Summit vs Utah Royals
Royals’ Previous Result: 1-0 Loss to Washington Spirit
When: Saturday, August 8th at 2 PM MT
Where: Centennial Stadium
TV/Streaming: Ion
Previous Faceoff against Utah Royals: 2-1 Loss on May 23rd
Key Offensive Threats
The top four threats Denver needs to prepare themselves for going into the week are Ashley Sanchez, Evelyn Ijeh, Cloe Lacasse, and Mina Tanaka.
Against Boston, Denver should not be on the lookout for one specific key threat – Boston’s attack and defense have diversified to where different players stand out each game. The Swans are very similar to Denver where they do not have one prolific goal scorer.
The Legacy’s top goal scorer, Aissata Traore, is currently unavailable as she competes at WAFCON. The next top scorer for the team, Amanda, is questionable due to a thigh injury which then leaves Alba Caño with two goals. For comparison, Barbra Banda leads the league with 12 goals this season. While this means that there is no attacker the Summit will be overfocused on containing, the team cannot let their guard down against any particular player.
Come Wednesday, Denver Summit will need to look to contain Ashley Sanchez and Evelyn Ijeh. The Courage were prolific in their match against Orlando on Friday night, scoring three goals in just 31 minutes (five goals total). Ashley Sanchez is having arguably her best season in the league yet and sits only behind Banda and Chawinga in the golden boot race. Sanchez sits at 9 goals and 3 assists thus far. Ayo Oke will likely be tasked with shutting down Sanchez on the left side. Meanwhile, Evelyn Ijeh (striker) had a standout game against Orlando Friday and recorded her first hat trick in the league. Ijeh has now recorded 9 goals and 2 assists this season.
Finally, on Sunday, Lindsay Heaps & co will look to shut down Mina Tanaka and Cloe Lacasse. Tanaka and Lacasse lead the team in goals and assists with 11 goals and 8 assists combined. Fans can also expect to see Oke tasked with Lacasse as she plays right wing. As prolific as the Courage were this Friday, the Royals were equally prolific with four goals against the Courage last Saturday with four goals.
Resilience
Thus far, the Summit has failed to defeat a team when conceding first. The lack of resiliency has been reflected in losses to Utah, Washington, Kansas City, Boston, and Bay. Against Lindsay Heaps certainly stepped up as a player on the field. In the next three games, she will need to step up as a leader too. Heaps needs to inspire the team to find the sense of urgency and defiance in the face of opponents.
While the team tends to bounce back from losses well, at this point in the season the team cannot have the attitude of calling one game a scrub and waiting to push hard the following match. Games are drying up and the team needs to take advantage of this three-game home stretch to record some much-needed points. In Sunday’s postgame, Kaleigh Kurtz emphasized that while the team is taking the season one step at a time, the home advantage will be a tool in the team’s arsenal to recover their place in the standings.
Execution with the Final Touch
Against the Spirit, Denver Summit had double the expected goals. The team recorded 17 shots yet only had one on target. These stats reflect the ongoing trend on the Summit where the team is unable to execute with the final touch on goal. Shots frequently are not sufficiently dangerous. The offence fails to meaningfully challenge the opposing defense. While chemistry within the offense is usually one of the last things to come for a new team of players, when the players get shots, they need to make them count.
Player Rotation
Fans can expect to see some rotation to prevent injuries as the Summit plays three matches in six games. For example, Ayo Oke, who consistently gets subbed out early, will likely depart each game sooner. Players who recently have not received as much time will get to see more as Cushing works to try to balance everyone’s minutes. Hopefully the rotation will let some of the more inexperienced players receive more time to develop. As Boston is the least challenging opponent, it’s possible that off the bat Cushing will make adjustments to the starting lineup to rest key players for the more challenging opponents. Contrastingly, he may choose to throw everything at securing an “easier” three points rather than gambling key player time against an uncertain win.
Patience, Patience, and More Patience
One of the most important things fans will need to maintain is patience. Although the Summit has shown unusual amounts of promise as they have gone head-to-head with league leaders, this is still the team’s first year out and Cushing’s first year in the NWSL. Fans need to remember that most expansion teams fail to accomplish what the Summit has already proven in their first season – that they can compete with anyone.
Life could be less disappointing if the Summit were terrible and fans could resign themselves to the fate of a poor expansion team. However, fans should count themselves lucky that they can go into any game knowing that the Summit has a chance to pull off an upset. Though the team has been incredibly unlucky in moments that have left points on the table, with more time, Cushing & co will start making sure those moments go their way. While more high-level additions to the roster could elevate the pace of the team’s ascension, ultimately fans need to be realistic. Patience is not easy, but it is a must. Denver Summit is in good hands.
Strategy Adjustments
While Cushing has done a lot in very little time, he does need to make strategy adjustments to the team’s style of play. The choice to constantly overload the right-side attack has not worked. Stacking Oke, Ryan, and now Heaps to ram their way through the defense is predictable and too easily shut down. While Oke and Ryan have been excellent on the right side, Cushing needs to develop more opportunities elsewhere. Some opportunities can be found via the left side, center midfielders, and through balls. Currently, the left-wing position is the position most up for dispute, with a variety of players taking the place throughout the season.
Midfielder Devin Lynch has been excellent defensively but needs to work on her ability to progress the ball up the field. Finally, with Olivia Thomas and Yazmeen Ryan occupying the attack, Cushing should take better advantage of their speed. Utilizing more through balls with Lindsay Heaps’s vision is important. Nevertheless, Cushing’s adjustments in the attack against Boston onwards will be interesting to see.
Photo Credit: Denver Summit FC
Matt Pollard 
Samuel Worsley 