COMMERCE CITY • There may have been postgame fireworks, but they weren’t to celebrate the outcome.

In Denver Summit FC’s first game in a month, the home team walked away with a disappointing 3-0 loss to the Kansas City Current on Friday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Kansas City’s Michelle Cooper scored first in the first half and added another in the second, while Temwa Chawinga rounded out the scoring late in the second half. 

Despite the loss, Denver (4-4-4) celebrated its third consecutive sellout with 16,833 fans Friday night. The matchup was the first of a three-game homestand after eight road games before the international break. The Summit will face the Houston Dash on July 12 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park before opening the 12,000-seat Centennial Stadium against the Portland Thorns on July 18. 

The Summit ended the match with the majority of possession time (56%) and three shots on goal to Kansas City’s nine. Denver goalkeeper Abby Smith made five saves, while Current goalkeeper Marissa Jordan had three. 

Forward Tash Flint, one of the Summit’s top scorers, was out Friday with an injury.

Kansas City (8-5-0) scored first in the 35th minute with a goal to the center of the net from Cooper. Despite holding 55% of possession time and two shots on goal in the first half, the Summit were held scoreless. Co-captain Janine Sonis nearly ended the first half with a goal in stoppage time, but was blocked by Jordan. 

A yellow card was issued to Denver’s Eva Gaetino in the 36th minute, but the penalty kick by Kansas City’s Lo’eau LaBonta was no good. 

After back-and-forth action for most of the second half, Cooper ran up the middle to find a left-footed goal in the 81st minute to put Kansas City up 2-0. The Current’s Temwa Chawinga, the league’s second-highest goal scorer with eight after Friday, scored in the 87th minute for the club’s fourth shutout of the season.

Friday was also a homecoming for Kansas City head coach Chris Armas, who coached the Rapids for the 2024 and 2025 season.