Angel City FC rallies from 2-goal deficit to tie Denver

LOS ANGELES — There is a fight in the NWSL as teams try to position themselves for the league’s eight playoff spots with less than two months left in the regular season.

Angel City Football Club began the week firmly in that fight in ninth place and had roll up its sleeves, fighting back from a two-goal deficit for a 3-3 draw against 10th-place Denver Summit FC on Friday night at BMO Stadium.

“Going down 3-1 at home was not acceptable,” Angel City forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir said. “We came together and spoke and said we were not done. We knew we wanted to score more goals. We’ve got some game-changers on and they helped us change the game.”

Angel City led 1-0 at halftime.

Denver, one of two expansion teams to debut in the 16-team NWSL this season, must have taken that deficit personally. Yuzuki Yamamoto scored in the 49th minute and Lindsey Heaps followed with a goal a minute later for a quick 2-1 lead. Janine Solis then made it 3-1 in the 61st minute and all appeared lost for Angel City.

But maybe that was the wake-up call the team needed. Prisca Chilufya made it 3-2 in the 63rd minute, a goal that was confirmed after a video review for a potential offside violation. Denver’s Ayo Oke was called for a foul in the penalty area in the 74th minute, giving Angel City a chance to pull even from the penalty spot. Ally Sentnor stepped up and converted, tucking the ball neatly inside the near post to make it 3-3 in the 74th minute

“It was blink of eye when they scored two goals,” Chilufya said. “We looked at ourselves and we felt like we could do something about it. We wanted to pull a win out of this, big fight for the team. The comeback was great. We look forward for the next one.”

Neither team came close to a potential game-winning goal, leaving them to settle for a draw. Angel City did make things interesting with several late-game corner kicks, but the referee blew the whistle with 96:10 showing on the clock.

“The point coming back was big for us,” Angel City interim coach Leif Smerud said. “Would have liked two more.”

Angel City (9-8-6, 33 points), which remains in ninth place, has seven games left. Seattle (10-8-4, 34 points) currently holds the final playoff berth and has eight games left, including a match against struggling Bay FC on Saturday. Seattle visits BMO Stadium on Wednesday for a critical clash with Angel City. Denver (8-8-7, 31 points) remains in 10th.

Angel City snapped a scoreless game just before halftime. Denver goalkeeper Abby Smith tried to play the ball long, but Angel City defender Sarah Gorden reached it first and sent it back toward the attacking front and Maiara Niehues got a first touch and then side-volleyed a shot past Smith for a 1-0 lead.

Angel City is trying to find and maintain some level of success. After qualifying for the playoffs in its second season, the team has been stuck toward the bottom of the standings the past two years.

Denver is vying to become just the third expansion team to qualify for the playoffs in its first season. San Diego Wave FC (2022) and Bay FC (2024) were the first two to accomplish the feat.

Angel City and Denver will meet again on Oct. 17 in Colorado.