Despite there only being a couple months left in the Denver Summit FC’s inaugural season, these two teams hadn’t met until this Friday night in Los Angeles. The two teams entered the game just outside of the playoff spot, with ACFC in 9th and Denver right behind them, separated by two points.
And that’s exactly where they ended after a furious 90 minute rollercoaster that saw six goals scored during the contest.
After a frustrating first half that provided Angel City with many close chances, but no actual goals, Maiara Niehues finally found the back of the net in the waning seconds of first-half stoppage time.
But L.A.’s lead was short-lived, with Denver coming out of the locker strong, Putting the pressure on Angel City right from the whistle, Yuzuki Yamamoto tied the match up in the 49th minute with a left-footed shot from the center of the box.
Less than a minute later on the clock, Denver took the lead following a shot that struck the top of the goalpost and found midfielder Lindsey Heaps, who swiftly put it away.
Defender Janine Sonis advanced the lead again in the 61st, burying a right-footed shot from outside the box.
A flurry of subs for Angel City followed, and they paid off almost immediately. Less than a minute after subbing in, Prisca Chilufya took a close-ranged pass from Sveindís Jónsdóttir and put it away. Initially called off, VAR confirmed the goal to bring L.A. back to within one.
They would get that goal in the 74th, when Ally Sentnor was sent to the spot after AyoOke drew a yellow inside the box. The shot made it past Abby Smith and set the final score of 3-3.
Angel City plays again at home on Wednesday, facing the Seattle Reign, who currently sit in that last playoff spot. The Summit return home to face Bay FC, before hosting Seattle themselves next Saturday.
