Denver Summit FC goalkeeper Abby Smith is the NWSL league leader in saves — and she's just getting started. Kate Hanson sits down with the two-time NWSL champion on The 5280 Pitch to talk about one of the most compelling stories in women's soccer right now.

Abby opens up about how a high-energy kid from Plano, Texas found her way into goal, set the program record at the University of Texas with 30 career shutouts, and spent nearly a decade competing across six professional clubs in the NWSL and Australia. She talks about the 2023 injury that nearly ended her career, the 433-day road back, and the two people who saved her playing career when she was ready to walk away.

Then — Denver. Why this NWSL expansion team felt different from the moment she signed. What the locker room looks like from the inside. The Carson Pickett friendship that goes all the way back to U-17 national team camp. And what it was really like standing in goal at Empower Field at Mile High in front of 63,004 fans — a record for women's sports in North America.

Topics covered:

• How Abby Smith became an NWSL goalkeeper — from gymnastics to the net
• Setting the shutout record at the University of Texas
• Nearly a decade in professional women's soccer across the NWSL and Australia
• The 2023 season-ending injury and the 433-day comeback
• Why Denver Summit FC felt like the right move
• The locker room culture and the Carson Pickett connection
• Leading the NWSL in saves four games into the 2026 season
• Playing in front of 63,004 fans at the Denver Summit FC home opener

The 5280 Pitch. Women's Soccer at Altitude.

Follow: @5280pitch | Newsletter + more at 5280pitch.com

Denver Summit FC just beat the defending NWSL champions 2-0. Clean sheet. First win in franchise history. And Melissa Kössler — "The Clinician" — scores for the third game in a row to make NWSL history.

But we're not skipping Orlando. Kate breaks down the 1-1 draw against the Pride, why Abby Smith's 10-save, Save of the Week performance is the only reason Denver came away with a point, and why giving up that Barbra Banda birthday goal still stings.

Then it's the Gotham recap: how Denver's formation shift from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 changed everything, what Tash Flint and Yuna McCormack did beyond the box score, and why pressing Ann-Katrin Berger into a mistake is not luck — it's a system.

And then — Saturday. The home opener. Empower Field at Mile High. 50,000 fans. Washington Spirit on CBS. Kate gives her predicted starting XI, explains why Devin Lynch keeps starting every single minute, and gets honest about the players we haven't seen as much as we thought we would — Lourdes Bosch, Ally Brazier, Nahikari García — and what that might mean.

This is Denver Summit FC women's soccer coverage at altitude.

Follow: @5280pitch | Newsletter + merch at 5280pitch.com

Devin Lynch’s road to Denver Summit FC starts here.

In this episode of The 5280 Pitch — Women’s Soccer at Altitude, host Kate Hanson sits down with Denver Summit FC rookie midfielder Devin Lynch to talk about her journey from Duke University to the NWSL.

Devin shares what it’s like entering the league as a rookie and joining Denver’s expansion team during its historic inaugural season.

In this episode we talk about:

• Devin’s soccer roots growing up in Illinois
• Her development at Duke and the breakthrough season that changed everything
• The jump from college soccer to the NWSL
• Competing in Denver’s talented midfield group
• Building culture on an expansion team
• Preparing for the Denver Summit FC home opener in front of 50,000 fans

Plus, Devin shares a few off-field details fans might not know — including her pregame sourdough ritual and why Denver might be the perfect city for a dog lover.

Denver Summit FC blew up their roster one week into the inaugural NWSL season...

In 24 hours, the Summit acquired USWNT forward Yazmeen Ryan and midfielder Delanie Sheehan from the Houston Dash in a blockbuster trade, then announced the signing of Japanese international Yuzuki Yamamoto from WE League champions Tokyo Verdy Beleza. Three proven players. One week in. Before a single home game has been played.

Kate breaks down what each signing actually means — Ryan's versatility and why two NWSL championships matter, Sheehan's ironwoman midfield presence and the connective tissue Denver has been missing, and Yamamoto's WE League MVP season and why a 23-year-old Japanese international is the long-game piece that tells you everything about how this front office is thinking.

She also gets into why the fact that both players chose Denver over other interested clubs matters for an expansion team still building its identity, what this does to the forward line alongside Kössler and Brazier, and why expansion teams that wait to compete usually never do.

Denver's home opener against the Washington Spirit is nine days away. Fifty thousand tickets are sold. The roster just got a whole lot more interesting.

Denver Summit FC lost their first-ever professional game 2-1 at Bay FC on March 14, 2026, but the story is so much bigger than the scoreline. In the 20th minute, Melissa Kössler headed home the first goal in club history off a beautiful Carson Pickett ball and Janine Sonis cross. Six minutes later, Sonis was sent off with a controversial red card that changed everything.

Kate breaks down the VAR decision that upgraded a yellow to a straight red, why the call didn't meet the IFAB standard for excessive force, and what it means that both expansion teams lost players to red cards on opening day. She also dives into Abby Smith's heroic 18-save performance, Ayo Oke shutting down Zambian international Rachel Kununaji in her NWSL debut, and how Denver held a dangerous Bay FC attack to just two goals while playing a player down for 63 minutes.

The back four looked solid with Carson Pickett, Kaleigh Kurtz, Eva Gaetino, and Ayo Oke. The midfield struggled to generate chances with just six shots all game. And six NWSL rookies are learning on the fly as Denver heads to Orlando to face the reigning champions on Friday, March 20 at 6 PM Mountain on Victory Plus and The Spot Denver 3.

Game one is in the books. The home opener against Washington Spirit is 14 days away.

Denver Summit FC plays their first-ever NWSL game on Saturday, March 14th against Bay FC at PayPal Park. This is it—the real thing.

In this episode, I break down what to expect from Bay FC, including their massive $1.1 million signing of USWNT midfielder Claire Hutton. Bay struggled to score last season (26 goals, lowest in the league), but they were organized defensively and just acquired one of the best defensive midfielders in the NWSL.

I cover Denver's likely starting XI—Smith in goal, Pickett-Kurtz-Gaetino-Oke backline, Regan-McCormack double pivot, Bosch at CAM, and some combination of Kössler, Thomas, and Brazier up top. Plus the tactical matchups that matter: Can Denver control the midfield against Hutton? Can they build out of the back cleanly? Can they exploit Bay's finishing struggles?

What does success look like for an expansion team in their first game? I think it's staying organized, creating quality chances, and competing for 90 minutes. A point on the road would be a solid start. Three points would be a statement.

Also covered: How to watch (ION, Denver7, The Spot Denver 3), official watch parties at Stoney's and Number 38 with the 14ers, and what's next (Orlando Pride, Gotham FC, then the home opener March 28th).

Saturday, 4:30 PM MT. History starts now.

Topics:

• Bay FC 2025 season breakdown and Claire Hutton signing
• Denver's likely starting XI and formation
• Tactical matchups: midfield battle, set pieces, fitness
• What success looks like for game one
• Where to watch and official watch parties
• What's next: Orlando, Gotham, home opener

Subscribe to The 5280 Pitch for weekly Denver Summit FC coverage all season long.

BONUS EPISODE: Carson Pickett joins the show!

Carson Pickett has been in the NWSL since 2016. She's played 185 games. She's seen the league go from $8,000 salaries and host families to expansion teams selling out NFL stadiums. And now she's helping build Denver Summit FC from the ground up.

In this episode, Carson talks about why she chose Denver as a veteran in a league that's finally treating players like professionals. We cover her rookie year in Seattle, what clicked when she got to North Carolina (leading the league in assists as a left back), and that unforgettable USWNT debut in 2022.

She also breaks down what it's like being a "grandma" on an expansion roster, why the altitude has been brutal but will work to the Summit's advantage, and what it means to walk into a city that's already sold 45,000 tickets before the team has played a single home game.

Plus: Carson accidentally announced two signings before the team did, and she and Tasha Flint are starting a podcast (you heard it here first).

March 28th. Washington Spirit. 45,000+ fans. Carson's ready.

Topics covered:

• Why Carson chose Denver after 11 years in the NWSL
• The evolution of the league from 2016 to now
• Her USWNT debut and representing the limb difference community
• Building an expansion team with veterans and rookies
• Training at altitude and how it'll impact games
• The home opener and what 45,000 fans means to this team

Subscribe to The 5280 Pitch for weekly Denver Summit FC coverage all season long.

Kaleigh Kurtz has played every single minute of every game for four consecutive NWSL seasons. What most people didn't know? She finished last season on a broken back.

In her first interview since joining Denver Summit FC, the veteran defender sits down with Kate Hanson to talk about why she chose an expansion team, what it's like training at altitude, how the Summit's chemistry clicked faster than anyone expected, and what 45,000 fans at Mile High will do to the way the game is played.

Plus: Natalie Means, Olivia Thomas, Nick Cushing's system, and the moment Kaleigh realized Denver was different.

Topics covered:

• Kaleigh Kurtz's path from North Carolina to Denver Summit FC
• Training and playing at altitude
• Coachella preseason: Utah and San Diego breakdowns
• Wearing the captain's armband
• Rookies Natalie Means and Olivia Thomas
• The March 28th home opener at Mile High

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