“One more goal” may be the new cheer of choice for Denver Summit fans at Centennial Stadium. 

The crowd chanted it in the 88th minute of play on Sunday after Denver earned a two-goal lead over visiting Gotham FC and forward Yazmeen Ryan was happy to oblige. Her shot from the top of the 18-yard box slipped past a pair of Gotham defenders and found twine, propelling the home team to a 3-0 win. 

Denver has scored nine goals in its past two outings. The Summit drubbed bottom-of-the-table Chicago Stars 6-1 last week and on Sunday earned a decisive victory over Gotham, the National Women’s Soccer League’s top team and defending champions. 

The result marks Gotham’s first loss since July 4 and snaps a 10-game unbeaten streak for the club representing New York and New Jersey. 

Top or bottom of the NWSL, the Summit’s message to opponents is the same. 

“There’s never going to be a team that gets to come in here and say, ‘Oh, we get to go and play in Denver,’” Summit keeper Kat Asman said. “Yes, respect them. Respect the opponent, understand what they’re good at but we’re fully focused on us and putting it on them to tell them, ‘If you think you’re going to come here and get three points, you’re just dead wrong.’”

Denver set the tone early in the week, following the lopsided win over Chicago with coach Nick Cushing and team captains Janine Sonis and Lindsey Heaps emphasizing the need to avoid complacency and keep their foot on the gas. 

Denver showcased that mentality in the opening moments of Sunday’s match as forward Melissa Kössler scored in the third minute but the goal was ruled offside. 

Despite Gotham’s status as the top team in the league, the East Coast club didn’t look the part on Sunday as Denver stymied the visitors in the attack. The Summit denied Gotham clean looks on goal and frequently forced turnovers. On several occasions, Sonis and fellow defender Meg Reid made the hard runs back toward their own goals to stop Gotham’s advances. 

Asman made four saves as the Summit earned their first shutout since May 29, snapping a 10-match streak of conceding goals. She earned her third start in goal on Sunday in place of Abby Smith who has been sidelined by a knee injury. 

“I think today’s result was hours of film and work, individually, as a group, as a team,” Asman said. “It starts with our 9 up top all the way back to me. That clean sheet isn’t just the back four plus the goalkeeper, plus maybe a holding 6, that is the entirety of the team making efforts, making plays, stopping attacks up at the front. And we’ve known, we didn’t have to say it in training, we didn’t have to say it in film. We’ve known that we haven’t had a shutout for a while.”

Asman mentioned the balance between wanting to move forward as a team in the attack and staying whole defensively. Denver struck that balance on Sunday, especially in the second half after Cushing implored his players during intermission to let go of the figurative handbrake and mash the gas pedal. 

The club’s breakthrough moment came in the 50th minute as forward Yuzuki Yamamoto beat visiting keeper Ann-Katrin Berger with a shot from the top of the six-yard box on a cross from defender Ayo Oke. 

In the 82nd minute, Denver struck the balance again as a Gotham turnover Ryan forced at midfield led to a long dribble and score for Denver sub Olivia Thomas. Thomas’ and Yamamoto’s goals were the second in as many weeks for the duo as they both scored their first goals of the season last week against Chicago. 

“I think we’re really just trusting each other and trusting the process and just believing,” Oye said. “I feel like we had a lot of pressure in knowing that we need to get goals and our forward line felt that pressure and now we’re just playing free and just trying to get after it.” 

Next week, the Summit travels to Angel City FC.