The Denver Summit continue to show growth in their inaugural NWSL campaign, but a pair of quick Houston equalizers prevented them from collecting all three points Saturday night at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park. Despite controlling much of the match, Denver settled for a 2-2 draw with the Houston Dash.
The result moves Denver to 4-5-4 (16 points) and into 11th place in the NWSL standings while marking the club’s first draw since April 4.
Denver wasted little time applying pressure. Forward Yazmeen Ryan opened the scoring in the 14th minute, finishing after sustained attacking pressure that began with consecutive chances from Ally Brazier. It was Ryan’s third goal of the season and one of the fastest goals scored by the Summit this year.
The goal also highlighted the growing chemistry between Ryan and Janine Sonis. After Ryan assisted both of Sonis’ goals in the clubs’ first meeting earlier this season, Sonis returned the favor with the assist Saturday. Across the two meetings with Houston, the duo has combined for four goals and three assists.
Houston answered almost immediately when Kat Rader equalized just two minutes later, sending the clubs into halftime tied at 2-2 after an eventful opening 45 minutes.
Denver reclaimed the lead moments after halftime when Sonis calmly converted a penalty kick in the 48th minute. The finish marked her team-leading fifth goal of the season while maintaining a perfect record from the penalty spot, converting both of her attempts in 2026.
Unfortunately for the Summit, Houston struck back almost instantly as Linda Ullmark restored parity later in the same minute.
Although the score remained unchanged for the remainder of the evening, Denver continued to dictate play. The Summit finished with 57 percent possession while establishing new club records with 26 total shots and 10 shots on target, surpassing their previous bests in both categories. Ryan also recorded five shots, the most by any Denver player in a match this season.
Defensively, Denver limited Houston to no shots during the opening 35 minutes of the second half, another encouraging sign as the expansion club continues to improve.
The match also featured several lineup milestones. Megan Reid, Olivia Thomas, and Delanie Sheehan all returned to the starting lineup, with Thomas making only the second professional start of her career.
While Denver will feel disappointed after surrendering two leads, the attacking production and record-setting offensive performance provide another positive step for an expansion side continuing to establish itself in the NWSL.
