Alex Pfeiffer Leads Bay FC Past 10-Player Denver Summit 2-1 in Summit's First NWSL Match

Denver Summit FC got its first NWSL goal, a red card and a crash course in how quickly this league punishes mistakes, all inside 31 minutes. Bay FC was happy to teach it.

Alex Pfeiffer scored eight minutes in and then set up Joelle Anderson's winner as Bay FC beat Denver 2-1 on Saturday at PayPal Park in San Jose, in front of 13,110 fans. Melissa Kössler scored the first goal in Denver's history to tie it in the 20th minute, but captain Janine Sonis was sent off seven minutes later after a video review, and Anderson restored Bay's lead just after the half hour. Bay starts its third season 1-0-0 with 3 points. Denver, in the first official NWSL match in club history, starts 0-0-1.

A Fast Start in San Jose

Bay did not waste time. In the eighth minute, Pfeiffer broke on a fast attack, carried the ball down the right and finished low with her left foot into the bottom left corner. 1-0. Per Bay, it was her first goal for her new club and the second of her NWSL career, and Denver notes that both have come in season openers.

The expansion side responded with real spirit. Ally Brazier had a shot blocked in the 11th minute, and Carson Pickett sent a shot just past the top left corner after the ensuing corner. Then, in the 20th minute, Sonis found Kössler in the middle of the box, and the German forward lashed a left-footed shot into the top left corner. 1-1. Denver's first goal, and, per the Summit, Kössler's first in the league.

Seven Minutes of Chaos

The good vibes did not last. In the 26th minute, video review upgraded a card for Sonis after a foul on Pfeiffer, according to Bay, and she was sent off in the 27th. Kaleigh Kurtz took over the captain's armband, per Denver.

Bay pounced almost immediately. In the 31st minute, out of a set-piece situation, Pfeiffer had a shot blocked, then found Anderson at the top of the box, and the center back fired a left-footed shot into the top left corner. 2-1, and that would be the winner. Per Bay, it was only the fourth time in club history that a player had more than one goal contribution in a match.

Abby Smith kept Denver in it the rest of the way. She saved from Racheal Kundananji in the 34th minute, and Karlie Lema and Brooklyn Courtnall both missed the target before the break. Eva Gaetino headed a Pickett set piece high and wide at the end of the half, Denver's last real look for a while.

Bay Takes Control

The second half belonged to Bay, which per the club held more than 70 percent of the ball after the break. Smith saved a Lema header in the 48th minute and a Taylor Huff shot in the 62nd. Head coach Emma Coates sent on Caroline Conti for Pfeiffer and Keira Barry for Lema in the 61st minute, and Barry was making her NWSL debut, per Bay. Anouk Denton made her NWSL debut late, too.

Denver started to tire. Pickett went off injured in the 79th minute, with Natalie Means making her NWSL debut in her place, per the Summit. Smith made two more saves late, from Kundananji in the 89th minute and Conti in the 90th, and the Summit could not find a second goal through five minutes of stoppage time.

The Turning Point

Sonis' red card. Denver had just equalized and was finally in the game. Losing its captain and assist provider in the space of seven minutes flipped the game. Bay scored four minutes later and spent the next hour passing the ball around a tired 10-player block.

Pfeiffer Sets the Tone

Pfeiffer was the best player on the field: a goal and an assist on two shots, constant movement on the right, and she drew the foul that led to the red card. She summed it up afterward. "Today means a lot," she said. "I haven't scored in two years, so I'm just super grateful to be given the opportunity to come here."

Anderson, a center back, scored the winner on one of her two shots. Hannah Bebar and Lema each fired four times, and Kundananji put two of her three shots on target.

For Denver, Smith made five saves and kept a lopsided game close. Kössler made the most of her only shot of the day. Denver gave first NWSL appearances to Natasha Flint, Eva Gaetino, Kössler, Devin Lynch, Ayo Oke and Emma Regan, and Olivia Thomas made her professional debut off the bench at halftime, according to the club.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Bay 63.4 percent, Denver 36.6.
• Shots: Bay 21, Denver 5. On target: 7 to 1.
• Saves: Smith 5, Jordan Silkowitz 0.
• Passing: Bay completed 420 of 493 passes. Denver completed 209 of 289.
• Offsides: Bay was flagged 5 times, Lema 3 of them.

What It Means

For Bay, this was a long time coming. Per the club, it was Bay's first win since June 2025, and the first of Coates' NWSL career. "I think it's huge," Coates said. "It means a lot for the club, you can see that it means a lot for the players, the staff, the fans, everyone." She added: "As a starting point, it's just, it's a really good place to be." Bay hosts in-state rival Angel City FC at PayPal Park on Saturday, March 21.

Denver leaves California with a goal, a red card and a lot of video to watch. The Summit's next stop is the Orlando Pride on Friday, March 20.

Closing Take

Every expansion team gets a pilot episode, and this one had everything: a historic goal, a plot twist, and a lead character who got written out early. Denver will be better once it keeps 11 players on the field for 90 minutes. Bay, meanwhile, finally looks like a team that knows what it wants to be. Coates called it a starting point. Pfeiffer, the woman who had not scored in two years, made it look like a launch.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by BayFC.com. Match notes from DenverSummitFC.com.