NWSL Insider: Denver Summit FC beat writer Marissa Kraus takes you around the NWSL  — on and off the pitch:  

The last time Orlando Pride’s Cori Dyke played soccer in Colorado was in high school. 

A Littleton native, Dyke grew up traveling to tournaments around the state with various club teams and then as a standout on the Valor Christian girls soccer squad. During those years, she admired Colorado natives like Lindsey Heaps who extended their careers well beyond the preps pitch. 

Seven years later, the former Eagle returns to her home state with the Pride (3-2-4) to face Denver Summit FC on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. 

“It’s surreal just being here with my pro team,” Dyke, 25, told The Denver Gazette. “All of my youth soccer took place here. What made me was Denver soccer, so being able to play with my team in my home state with friends and family is so special.”

The Pride Night matchup, slated for 6:45 p.m., is their second meeting of the season after a 1-1 draw in Orlando on March 20. It is also the final Summit (2-3-3) home game until July 3 after the World Cup break. 

After a prolific career at Penn State that included 2023 Big Ten Defender of the Year honors, Dyke was selected No. 22 overall in the 2024 NWSL draft. The rookie played in all three of Orlando’s playoff matches in 2024 to help the club win the NWSL championship over the Washington Spirit. 

“It was the coolest soccer experience I’ve ever had,” Dyke said. “Getting to play significant minutes during that run was something I was grateful for. I was thrown into a new position and tried to take that opportunity and run with it. To have that experience my rookie year is something I’ll cherish forever.”

Dyke also represented the United States from the U-14 to U-23 levels and helped the U-19 USWNT win a four-team tournament in China. 

Saturday will be a reunion for Dyke and former Pride teammates Ally Brazier and Carson Pickett, both of whom played in Orlando before joining the Summit. It’s a full-circle moment for NWSL veteran Pickett, who lived with Dyke’s family in Littleton one summer during offseason college training. 

Dyke and Brazier, a Highlands Ranch native, are also close because they played in the same club tournaments. The two have countless memories of playing at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and used to joke that the only activity in between games was the nearby Bass Pro Shops.  

“She was at my wedding,” Brazier said. “(Dyke) is one of the hardest-working people I have ever met. She is humble, determined, and driven. Someone who is never satisfied with where she is. Just an amazing human and friend.”

Orlando is looking to bounce back this weekend after a 2-1 loss to Boston Legacy on Tuesday. Dyke says the team plans to bring intensity into the match and be unified defensively. Most of all, they plan to play with heart.  

While winning is the priority, Dyke also looks forward to having her family, friends and former coaches in the stands to watch her live out her dream of playing in the NWSL. She expects a big hometown crowd as her parents, Peter and Annette Dyke, “Have told everyone they can.”

“She helped build this as well,” Brazier said of the support of women’s soccer in Colorado. “Any person part of the Colorado youth systems, people look up to. I know her coming here to witness what’s been growing here in terms of soccer is something she is proud of.” 

The Dykes have sat in the stands at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park many times, but the Pride starter predicts Saturday night may be the most special. 

Colorado players in the NWSL

Denver Summit FC: Ally Brazier (Colorado Springs), Lindsey Heaps (Golden), Jordan Nytes (Aurora), Meg Boade (Lone Tree), Janine Sonis (Highlands Ranch), Jordan Baggett (Highlands Ranch). 

Note: USWNT captain Heaps will join Denver in June after wrapping her season with OL Lyonnes, and Baggett is on maternity leave. 

Elsewhere in the NWSL 

Mallory Swanson, Chicago Red Stars (Highlands Ranch) 

Sophia Wilson, Portland Thorns FC (Windsor)

Ryan Williams, North Carolina Courage (Centennial)

Jaelin Howell, Gotham FC (Windsor)

Alex Loera, Utah Royals (Thornton) 

Shae Holmes, Seattle Reign FC (Highlands Ranch) 

Ally Schlegel, North Carolina Courage (Longmont)  

Molly Skurcenski, Washington Spirit (Centennial)

Tess Boade, Bay FC (Highlands Ranch)

Heather Gilchrist, Bay FC (Boulder) 

Cori Dyke, Orlando Pride (Littleton) 

Halle Mackiewicz, Chicago Stars (Broomfield) 

Lauren Milliet, Racing Louisville FC (Durango) 

What I’m thinking

• The Summit is starting to come together after a breakthrough 4-1 win over the Houston Dash on May 9. After a 1.5-hour delay, defender Sonis earned her second career brace, 10 years after her first career goal with the Dash. Tash Flint scored her fourth goal of the season. It was their most complete game so far, setting them up well to earn their first win at home Saturday. 

• Denver is just the second NWSL team to play at least six of its first eight regular-season matches on the road after Portland played seven of its first eight away in 2019. The road experience has benefited the expansion team, head coach Nick Cushing said, but the Summit will have to wait two more road games after Saturday before returning home July 3 after the World Cup break. 

What they’re saying

“Our vice president cried because she was so excited. It means so much to be represented in any space. Kids and adults with limb differences are usually not represented, but she is really bringing it to attention, saying, ‘look what else you can achieve.’” 

—Hand Camp Colorado president Cailin Delaney

What I’m seeing

• Durango native and Colorado College alum Lauren Milliet reached 10,000 NWSL regular-season minutes in Louisville’s 3-1 win over Portland last Friday. Milliet was a midfielder for the Tigers from 2015-18 and went on to have a successful NWSL career as an outside back. Last April, she became the first player in league history to log 100 consecutive matches for one club. Milliet will face the Summit on May 29 in Louisville. 
• No. 14 Louisville upset the No. 1 Portland Thorns 3-1 last week, but the Thorns (6-1-2) still sit atop the league with 19 points. Highlands Ranch native Wilson scored her third goal of the season after returning from maternity leave. The Thorns will play the Summit in Denver on July 18.     

What I’m hearing

• Fans are at the forefront of Cushing’s mind: “It’s critical to deliver a win for the fans. I told (the team) the desire and drive we had to execute the result in Houston has to be there this week for the fans. Our fans have been incredible, and we want them to come to Centennial Stadium (after the break) and give us the energy they’ve given us.” 

• Cushing on feeling the pressure of winning: “I feel a little like I have the whole of Denver soccer on my shoulders, and I really like that. It drives me. I work so much better when the margin for error is so small. I try to pile it on me and not the team.” 

• Pickett was chosen as the Summit’s nominee for the NWSL Lauren Holiday Impact Award presented by Nationwide, which recognizes players for outstanding service, character and community impact off the pitch. Pickett’s charity, Hand Camp Colorado, will receive $5,000 for the nomination.