Kurtz own goal ends Denver Summit's debut season with 1-0 loss

Denver Summit FC lost its final match of the 2026 season on Sunday night, falling 1-0 to the North Carolina Courage in Cary, North Carolina.

The defeat ended the Summit's chase for the final NWSL playoff berth. The team finished the regular season with a record of 11 wins, 11 losses, and 8 draws. This result placed the Summit in 10th place with 41 points. North Carolina improved its record to 14-13-3 for 45 points but also missed the postseason.

The decisive goal arrived in the 94th minute. Kaleigh Kurtz deflected the ball into her own net, giving North Carolina the victory. The stoppage-time strike sealed the final playoff spot for the Seattle Reign, which defeated its opponent 1-0 earlier in the day.

Denver controlled the early stages of the match. The Summit held 70% of possession during the first 20 minutes and created three scoring chances. The team recorded seven shots in the first half, but the score remained 0-0 at the break. Goalkeeper Abby Smith made five saves in the second half, including two from direct free kicks, to keep the game close until the final minutes.

Kurtz achieved a league first before the final whistle. By playing the full 90 minutes, she became the first five-time ironwoman in NWSL history. Her streak of consecutive minutes played now stands at 12,922 across 144 matches. She had previously set a record for four consecutive full seasons in 2025.

Forward Ally Brazier returned to the lineup after missing seven matches from late August to early October. She played 16 minutes in Sunday's game.

The Summit concluded its first NWSL season with 53 goals. This total sets a league record for the most goals scored by a team in its inaugural year. The mark also ties the 2018 North Carolina Courage for the third-highest single-season total in NWSL history.