Centennial, Colo. – Major League Baseball great Yogi Berra said it best: “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” Wednesday night, Denver Summit FC was snake-bitten with bad luck once again. Right before their eyes, and those of their faithful supporters, Summit watched a third-to-last-place Bay FC rally late and poach much-needed points from them.
Just three days prior and a few times earlier in the season, Denver had three points firmly in their possession. Saturday night, they witnessed their opponent, Angel City FC, mount an impressive counterattack and snap back from two down to tie Summit 3-3. Instead of banking three points, Denver flew home with one, and so, at a time in the season when decisive victories can make or break a team.
With NWSL Decision Day set for November 1, Denver has missed back-to-back opportunities to earn priceless wins.
The evolving, yet high-potential expansion team is competing with the likes of Angel City FC, Seattle Reign and KC Current for the final spot in this year’s playoffs.
The top eight teams make the post season. Denver currently tenth in the league table.
“You have to win the Angels City game once you go three-one off,” said Summit’s head coach Nick Cushing during his post-game meet-up with members of the local media.
He continued, “This one tonight is a very, very simple one. We’ll see this 100 times over in the game of soccer. We have enough chances to win two games, and if you don’t put an opponent away, give them something to fight for at the end, and they go to strikers, and they throw the ball on the back line … And in the end, you end up feeling like you’re hanging on in the game.”
Denver’s goals came from two of their three inaugural season co-captains. Lindsey Heaps scored on a ball from Natalie Means that scurried across the mouth right to Heaps left foot. Heaps calmly slapped the ball into the back of the net in the 42nd minute. The goal was her second in as many games, and first in Centennial Stadium.
Twelve minutes into the second half, Janine Sonis swooped in from the left side of the pitch and slid onto a low cross from Yazeem Ryan to put Denver up 2-O and launched the energetic home crowd up and out of their seats.
Fan favorite Sonis now has 11 goals. The veteran is tied with North Carolina’s Evelyn Ije and is one goal behind Portland’s Sophia Wilson. The league leader is Carolina’s Ashley Sanchez with 19 goals in 24 games.
As if divine intervention struck Bay FC, they responded exactly as Angel City FC did. They threw everything they had at Denver, and a familiar feeling of angst and anxiety set in throughout Centennial Stadium.
Summit’s defense surrendered a goal in the 73rd minute and again in stoppage time. Give credit Claire Hutton and Taylor Huff for not giving up and playing for respect.
Concurrent with Denver’s game, ninth-place Angel FC was hosting eighth-place Seattle. Los Angeles defeated their guests 3-1. With the win, they have separated from Denver by four points. Seattle is up by five points.
During Janine Sonis’ press conference, she commented, “I said these ties are taking years off of my life, because it’s genuinely what it feels like. And in a playoff race as close as this one, we really need to be picking up points in these games, especially when we’re dominating opponents.”
Denver will entertain Seattle this Saturday at 6:45pm. The following weekend, they will go head-to-head with seventh-placed Kansas City in Missouri.
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Katherine Ammon 
Matt Pollard 