CENTENNIAL — In the grand opening of the first venue built for women’s professional sports in Colorado, Denver Summit FC delivered a memorable triumph.

With temperatures in the 90s in the first match at 12,372-seat Centennial Stadium, Summit FC beat Portland Thorns FC 2-1 in front of a sold-out crowd that couldn’t get enough. Windsor’s Sophia Wilson (of the Thorns) and Highlands Ranch product Janine Sonis (Summit) tied the score in the first half before Summit defender Natalie Means lifted Denver to a win late in the second half. 

Summit (5-5-4) came into the match ranked No. 11 while the Thorns (8-5-3) were No. 3 in the table. 

“The message today was to go be ourselves and make this game really difficult,” Summit coach Nick Cushing said. “I thought the players were excellent at driving the intensity. I’ll play anytime, anywhere, as long as we have these fans.”

Golden’s Lindsey Heaps started for Denver in her debut with the Summit and did not score despite finding multiple chances at the net. Still, she helped around the pitch and recorded an assist for Means’ goal.

The forward received a warm welcome from her hometown with dozens of Heaps jerseys adorning the stands and posters reading “Welcome home” in various forms. 

“I never felt like we wouldn’t come back; even in the second half I knew the goal was coming,” Heaps said.  “Before the game, we said what an opportunity it was to play in front of the fans in our own stadium. I think we are both proud of how we came out today.”

A United States Women’s National Team captain, Heaps returned to the NWSL for the first time since 2021. She had spent six seasons with the Thorns, where she earned the 2018 NWSL MVP award and scored the championship-winning goal in the Thorns’ 2017 title run.  

In the 25th minute, Wilson scored the first goal of the game with a penalty kick after a Denver foul. Sonis found the equalizer for Denver in the 53rd minute (45’ plus 8′) to put the score at 1-1 at the half. 

After back-and-forth action under the beating sun in the second half, Means came in clutch in the 86th minute off an assist from Heaps to put Denver ahead for the rest of the match. Means, who entered in the 77th minute, was lifted into the air by her teammates after the final whistle. 

“You could see by our reaction as a team how happy everyone is for her,” Sonis said of Means. “Seeing her every day, it was only a matter of time before she would have that moment. That’s this team. We aren’t just 11 players. We are a deep team, and that’s what you need to win championships.”

Centennial Stadium opened its doors for the first time Saturday and will serve as the temporary home for Summit during the construction of its permanent facility at Santa Fe Yards. 

“Curt (Johnson) brought me here June 1, 2025, and it was just one big dirt field,” Cushing said. ”13 months later, and we just won in the stadium. Amazing occasion, but it’s another step forward, and we have to harness it.” 

The modular facility features a range of seating options and a designated section for Denver’s 14ers supporter group behind one of the goals. It is the final piece of a campus that includes multiple shared-use fields and the CommonSpirit Performance Center, both of which were completed in a little over 12 months. 

“The way it is structured is going to make it difficult for teams,” Cushing said. “You can feel the noise. The crowd was amazing as ever. This special energy every week drives us.”

Ahead of Saturday’s game, the club released new renderings of the upcoming stadium and announced that construction will officially begin in the fall. The renderings highlight expanded social spaces for fans. 

Denver next goes on the road for a match against the Washington Spirit July 26 and returns home Aug. 2 against Boston Legacy FC. 

It was a near-perfect day for the Summit, but the team knows it must keep delivering performances like Saturday’s. Still, the players, especially the Coloradans, continue to pinch themselves about what the club has built. 

“Everyone was clear from the beginning what they wanted to create,” Sonis said. “Everyone believes in us. I take losses really tough, and last week felt like a loss, but they never wavered. When you put action behind belief, you see a performance like today.”