Janine Sonis Scores Twice Again as Denver Summit Beat Orlando Pride 3-1 for First Home Win

Janine Sonis is listed at left back in ESPN's lineup for Denver Summit FC. Somebody should tell her. For the second straight week, Sonis scored twice, and on Saturday night her penalty and her poacher's finish carried Denver to a 3-1 win over the Orlando Pride at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

In front of 16,974 fans in Commerce City, the Summit got a goal from defender Eva Gaetino, two from Sonis and one long-awaited milestone. Denver's own recap called it the club's first win at home, and it came with authority: 23 shots, 56.7 percent of the ball and an opponent finishing the night with 10 players.

Denver Owns the Opening Act

Denver came out pressing like a team tired of hearing about its home record. Natasha Flint, Ayo Oke and Melissa Kössler all had looks inside the first 10 minutes, and the Summit earned three corners in that span.

The third one paid off. In the 11th minute, Gaetino crashed in at the far post and finished from very close range, and Denver led 1-0.

Orlando had its moments. Barbra Banda, back in the starting lineup as one of four changes Pride head coach Seb Hines made, had three close misses before halftime, including a header that flew just past the top right corner in the 37th minute. But Denver kept the pressure on. Yazmeen Ryan just missed the top left corner in the 38th and pulled another shot wide in the 41st, and the Summit took a one-goal lead into the break while outshooting Orlando by a wide margin.

Hines Rolls the Dice, and It Backfires

Hines went big at halftime, sending on Angelina, Nicole Payne and Marta. For about five minutes it worked. Orlando strung together three shots in the 50th minute alone, from Haley McCutcheon and Ally Lemos.

Then the match turned on two moments in 12 minutes.

First, in the 51st minute, Ryan drew a foul from Oihane Hernández in the box. Sonis stepped up three minutes later and sent her penalty into the bottom right corner for a 2-0 lead. Kössler nearly made it three in the 56th, hitting the right post from inside the six-yard box.

Second, Angelina's night ended almost as quickly as it began. After a VAR review upgraded a card in the 61st minute, the halftime substitute was shown a straight red for violent conduct in the 63rd. Orlando would play the rest of the night with 10.

"The sending off changes the whole game, but I won't talk about that," Hines said afterward.

One Minute of Hope, Then Sonis Again

Even down a player, Orlando found a way back in. In the 76th minute, McCutcheon slipped a through ball to Banda on the break, and Banda finished into the bottom right corner. The Pride said it was her ninth goal of the season, the most in the NWSL.

Sixty seconds later, the door slammed shut. Flint had a shot blocked in the box, the ball fell loose, and Sonis pounced with her right foot, sending it into the bottom right corner for her second of the night and a 3-1 lead.

That 77th-minute goal was the true turning point. Orlando had worked its way into exactly the spot Hines wanted, a one-goal game with plenty of time left. It lasted one minute.

"We put ourselves in a really good position at 2-1 with a lot of time left and then let ourselves down with the third goal," Hines said.

The Stars

Janine Sonis: Four shots, two on target, two goals. Denver noted she now has back-to-back braces after scoring twice in its 4-1 win at Houston the previous weekend. That is four goals in two matches from a player ESPN lists in the back four. Wingbacks everywhere are taking notes.

Yazmeen Ryan: She drew the penalty, put two of her four shots on target and was involved in Denver's attack all night, setting up several attempts from the right side.

Barbra Banda: Six shots, two on target, one goal and one yellow card. She was Orlando's only real threat for long stretches before Kerry Abello replaced her in the 78th minute, which the Pride said was Abello's first appearance of 2026.

Anna Moorhouse: The Orlando goalkeeper made four saves, including stops on Ryan in the 65th minute and in stoppage time. Without her, this is a rout.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Denver 23, Orlando nine. On target: seven to two.
• Possession: 56.7 percent for Denver, which completed 461 of 517 passes.
• Woodwork: Kössler hit the post, the only one of Denver's near misses that rattled the frame.
• Discipline: Orlando finished with one red card and one yellow; Denver was not booked.

What It Means

Denver climbs to 3-3-3 with 12 points and has won two straight, both behind Sonis braces. Before Saturday the Summit had a draw and a loss at home; now they finally have something to celebrate in front of their own crowd. Denver's recap also noted that the result moved the Summit past Orlando in the table, and the records back it up, with Denver now one point ahead.

For Orlando, now 3-2-5 with 11 points, it is two straight road losses after a 2-1 defeat at Boston Legacy FC earlier in the week. Hines did not sugarcoat it.

"Frustrating. I sound like a broken record right now," he said. "We'll analyze it and move on. We've been on the road now for about a week."

The Pride close their three-match road trip at San Diego Wave FC next Sunday. Denver hits the road too, visiting the Utah Royals on Saturday.

Final Whistle

Sonis is turning into the bassist who keeps stealing the guitar solo, and nobody in Denver is complaining. A left back with four goals in two matches is either a hot streak or a tactical revelation, and the Summit can sort out which one after they enjoy their first home win.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by the Orlando Pride; additional match details from Denver Summit FC.