Utah Royals drop late winner to Rocky Mountain rival Denver Summit

SANDY — Utah Royals FC’s first-ever trip to Rocky Mountain rival Denver Summit had all the makings of an #NWSLAfterDark clasico, and for a moment the makings of a Royals road result.

But “After Dark” goes both ways.

Janine Sonis scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to help Denver hold off Utah Royals’ late rally, 2-1 in front of an announced crowd of 12,380 fans at Centennial Stadium in Centennial, Colorado.

Tatumn Milazzo scored for Utah (10-3-6, 33 points), which out-shot the Summit 18-12 but put just three of those shots on target to Denver’s six.

Utah out-shot Denver 10-6 in the first half, but put just two shots on target to three for the Summit. That helped both Royals goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn and former Utah keeper Abby Smith — now starting in goal for the NWSL expansion club iin the Mile High City — to keep the shutout through the break.

But Yasmeen Ryan struck first for the hosts, settling a cross into the box from Janine Sonis before converting in the 51st minute to give Denver a 1-0 lead.

“Results will go up and down; that’s what we know. But I think the identity of what we do remains the same,” Utah coach Jimmy Coenraets said. “We’re a team that needs to stick to what we believe, and just get better at it.

“We played some great football in the first half,” he added. “Now we just need to capitalize off those moments.”

Another look at Tatumn's powerful strike ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/N0qfj4xJRB

— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) August 9, 2026

Milazzo scored a golazo to equalize late, securing her fourth goal of the season from the right side of the box after second-half substitute Brecken Mozingo — the former BYU standout from Sandy who made her 50th career NWSL appearance with her hometown club — lobbed a hail-mary cross into the box in the 89th minute.

After a deflection, Milazzo received the ball at the back post and secured the top-shelf finish that tied the match near the end of regulation.

Royals forward Paige Cronin, the club captain who came off the bench Saturday night, credited Milazzo for rallying the squad after conceding first.

“She’s had to step up in different roles,” Cronin said. “She overcame ACL surgery, and to do everything she does every day is cool to see — and she’s exactly the person you want on your team.”

The goal was the seventh for Utah after the 75th minute, and the seventh conceded by Denver with 15 minutes or less remaining in regulation all season.

But #NWSLAfterDark hit hard, when Sonis whipped in a free kick in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to help the Summit collect all 3 points at home.

Utah returns home to host Bay FC on Friday (8 p.m. MT, NWSL+).