Denver Summit FC made an early breakthrough and never surrendered their advantage, beating Chicago Stars FC 3–0 at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston on Sunday, October 4. Janine Sonis opened the scoring in the eighth minute, while Lindsey Heaps struck in the 26th and 76th minutes to complete a commanding National Women’s Soccer League victory.
Sonis and Heaps establish the advantage
Sonis gave Denver the ideal start with her eighth-minute goal, putting Chicago on the back foot before the fixture had settled into its stride. The hosts’ task became tougher when Heaps doubled the visitors’ lead in the 26th minute.
Chicago’s Michelle Alozie had been booked in the 20th minute, and the Stars reached the interval facing a two-goal deficit. Denver’s early attacking returns left the home side needing a substantial second-half response.
Heaps heads home to seal the result
Chicago could not find the goal needed to bring themselves back into contention. Heaps then settled any remaining doubt with a header in the 76th minute, claiming her second goal of the afternoon and extending Denver’s lead to 3–0.
The visitors’ advantage was reflected in the match statistics. Denver held 62 percent possession and produced 17 shots to Chicago’s 10, with six efforts on target compared with four for the hosts. A 6–1 edge in corners further underlined the Summit’s attacking presence.
Chicago did register four shots on target, but none yielded a breakthrough. Denver paired their three goals with a clean sheet, making this a productive away performance at both ends of the pitch.
What comes next
For Denver, Heaps’ brace and Sonis’ early opener provided the decisive contributions in a deserved three-point return. Chicago, meanwhile, must regroup after an afternoon in which conceding twice before halftime left them with too much to recover.
The Stars next face Seattle Reign FC on Sunday, October 18, at 4:00 PM PDT. Denver’s next scheduled fixture is against North Carolina Courage on Sunday, November 1, at 2:00 PM PST.
