J. Sonis (13)
Denver Defeats Chicago Behind Record SIX-Goal Performance
DENVER LINEUP: Asman, Reid, Kurtz, Oke (63’ Means), Sonis, Sheehan (63’ Lynch), Regan, Heaps (45’ Flint), Ryan, Yuzuki (72’ Pickett), Kössler (72’ Thomas)
Unused Substitutes: Nytes, Yuna, Boade
CHICAGO LINEUP: Atkinson, Maitane, Staab, Alozie, Ouahabi, Hayashi (45’ Grosso), Dellarose (63’ Gasper), Farmer, Joseph (79’ Charley), Bike (63’ Gomes), Johnson (63’ Egizii)
Unused Substitutes: Naeher, Pinto, Wood, Franklin, Farmer
How it Happened
In their first home match at Centennial Stadium since Aug. 9, Denver Summit FC earned three points with a commanding 6-1 victory over Chicago Stars FC, setting a franchise record for goals scored in a single game.
Denver opened the scoring in the 13th minute when co-captain Janine Sonis recorded her ninth goal of the campaign, set up by rookie Yuzuki Yamamoto’s second assist of the season. Seven minutes later, Lindsey Heaps delivered a precision cross into the six-yard box, where Melissa Kössler headed it home to double the lead. The strike marked Kössler’s fifth goal of the year and her first since April 25 against San Diego.
The Summit maintained control in the second half as Yuzuki netted her first career NWSL goal in the 48th minute. With that goal, she became only the third player in club history to log both a goal and an assist in a single match this season, joining Sonis (2) and Tash Flint (2). Chicago’s Julia Grosso pulled one back for the visitors in the 53rd minute, but Denver responded promptly in the 56th minute as Flint converted her fifth goal of the season. Just two minutes later, Kössler struck again to complete her brace, joining Sonis (2) as the second Summit player with a multi-goal match this year. The three goal stretch was tallied in a matter of five minutes.
The historic performance was capped by a pair of milestones when rookie forward Olivia Thomas netted her first career goal, setup by Devin Lynch’s first assist of the campaign. Playing before a sellout crowd of 12,372 at Centennial Stadium—Denver’s sixth of the season—the team sealed a decisive victory.
Facts & Figures
- In the 37th minute of matchplay Sonis became the 94th player in league history to reach 10,000 regular-season minutes played. Additionally, Sonis made her 142nd career regular season start, putting her just eight starts away from the 150 club.
- In the best NWSL season of her career, Sonis is now four goals away from passing her combined goal total from her last six seasons in the league (12).
- After sustaining an injury in week 16 and missing three matches, Co-Captain Lindsey Heaps made her return to Centennial Stadium donning the armband and contributing an assist through 45 minutes of play.
- The Summit finished the match with goal contributions from eight players including two assist + goal performances and one brace. The squad’s 61.7% possession was the second highest of the season.
- Olivia Thomas’s 85th minute goal solidified the Summit as the first team to score six goals in a single match this season alongside setting a new single-season record for the squad. The last time a club scored six goals in one match was Oct. 18 2025 (San Diego vs Chicago).
Looking Ahead
Denver Summit FC continues its homestand next weekend against league-leading Gotham FC on Sunday, Sept. 6, with kickoff set for 12:00 p.m. MT. Catch the match live in person at Centennial Stadium—tickets are available at www.DenverSummitFC.com—or tune in via Paramount+ and CBS.