LOS ANGELES, CA (September 11, 2026) - Angel City Football Club (ACFC) battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 3-3 draw against Denver Summit FC on Friday at BMO Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.
Maiara Niehues opened the scoring for Angel City in the 44th minute, heading into halftime with a one-goal lead. Denver responded with three goals in the opening 17 minutes of the second half to bring the scoreline to 3-1. ACFC answered with goals from Prisca Chilufya and Ally Sentnor, with Sentnor converting a penalty in the 74th minute to level the match.
“The pace and the ambition and the heart we played with in the first half was great to see. We played a bit too quickly, so the speed of the game was almost too good, but I think that is a result of a very strong ambition,” said Interim Head Coach Leif Smerud. “It's a young team, and the eagerness to attack, go forward, and dominate the game was really there. I think the way we came back was good.”
Angel City created the first dangerous opportunities of the match in the opening minutes with forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir sending a header over the target in the third minute before Niehues forced Denver goalkeeper Smith into a save one minute later.
Denver tested Angelina Anderson in the ninth minute, but the ACFC goalkeeper made the save to keep the match scoreless.
Angel City continued to pressure as the half progressed, with Jónsdóttir having an attempt blocked in the 34th minute. The breakthrough came in the 44th minute when Niehues found the back of the net with a left-footed strike from outside the box, sending the ball into the bottom-right corner past Smith. Captain Sarah Gorden provided the assist, her third of the season.
The goal marked Niehues’ eighth of the season as Angel City carried a 1-0 advantage into halftime.
Denver responded immediately after the break as forward Yuzuki Yamamoto leveled the match in the 49th minute with a left-footed finish from the center of the box. One minute later, Denver took the lead following a shot that struck the top of the goalpost before midfielder Lindsey Heaps finished the rebound to put the visitors ahead 2-1.
Denver extended its lead in the 61st minute when defender Janine Sonis fired a right-footed shot from outside the box into the top-right corner.
Angel City answered almost immediately, as Prisca Chilufya entered the match in the 62nd minute. The forward found the back of the net one minute later, finishing from close range off an assist from Jónsdóttir to cut Denver’s lead to 3-2.
“I was going in, and [Smerud] told me, ‘You can change this game,’” Chilufya said. “Not just me, but even Carina [Lageyre]. He told us, ‘You guys are the missing piece of the rest of the game. The team is fighting, and I want you to go in and push the team.’”
Angel City continued to push for an equalizer, which came in the 74th minute. Sentnor stepped up to take the penalty kick and finished with a right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner, bringing Angel City level at 3-3.
“Not giving up is something that we have to take with us,” Jónsdóttir said. “We had 30 minutes to go, and we knew we wanted to score goals. We got some game changers onto the pitch and they did great when they came on; they helped us change the game.”
Angel City continued to search for a winner in the final 15 minutes. Gisele Thompson sent an attempt wide in the 79th minute, while Chilufya had an attempt from inside the box in the second minute of stoppage time, but the attempt was blocked as the match ended 3-3.
The draw gives Angel City one point as the team continues its push towards the playoff line.
“We have to do better in our game management,” said Smeurd. “We tried to play a few passes and we missed them. So it's nothing bigger than that, but at this level, you get punished. I'm more focused on how we responded because when this happens, in an important game like this, it's very easy to go down 3-1 down. I'm very happy with how we responded.”
Angel City will host Seattle Reign FC on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 7:00 p.m. PT at BMO Stadium. The club will celebrate Native American Heritage Night and the match will be televised on NWSL+.