For months, Janine Sonis was the keeper of Colorado’s biggest soccer secret.
Sonis, a Highlands Ranch native and Valor Christian alum, is close friends with U.S. Women’s National Team captain and Golden native Lindsey Heaps. So when Heaps texted Sonis last year about her intention to sign with Denver FC following the conclusion of her contract with Lyon in France, Sonis knew that she, too, had to find a way back home.
“That was the hardest-kept secret of my life,” Sonis said with a laugh. “I was obviously very excited for her, and she told me, ‘You have to get there.’ We’ve wanted to play together our entire careers.
“When I finally got (my trade) over the line, I texted her, all caps, ‘IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING!’”
Sonis (nee Beckie) and Heaps (nee Horan) have known each other since their elementary school days, when Sonis was a star for Real Colorado and Heaps was the headliner for Colorado Rush. The two frequently played against each other on Colorado’s youth scene, and in their professional eras, have become international rivals with Sonis as a longtime pillar for the Canadian Women’s National Team and Heaps as a centerpiece of the U.S. squad.
They are two of the five local players on Denver Summit FC’s inaugural roster, and their acquisitions by the club were announced three days apart last month. Denver got the 2020 Olympic gold medalist via trade with Racing Louisville FC in exchange for an initial $120,000.
“When the team was announced (last January), I knew I wanted to be back here,” Sonis said. “I loved being in Louisville… but I was very excited about the possibility of coming back home. I reached out to my agent and asked to do some exploration, see where the club’s head was at, float my name around and see if there’s any interest. Then, when they announced Nick (Cushing as manager), I knew I needed to be here.”
Sonis played for Cushing for two seasons with Manchester City, winning two FA Cups and two Women’s Super League titles. Cushing was the first coach to switch Sonis from forward to fullback, which is what the defender will be playing with Summit FC.
But Sonis is still capable of being an offensive threat from that position, as evidenced by a goal and an assist in Summit FC’s first exhibition match. The 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Current last weekend came in the opening phase of the club’s preseason training in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Sonis is one of several notable veterans on the Summit FC defense, along with Camryn Biegalski, Carson Pickett, Kaleigh Kurtz and fellow Canadian Women’s National Team member Megan Reid. Plus, the defense has several intriguing NWSL rookies in Natalie Means, Eva Gaetino and Ayo Oke, who recently earned her first cap with the USWNT.
While Cushing vowed that Summit FC will be “an attacking team,” he also acknowledged that the club’s ability to fulfill owner Rob Cohen’s expectations to compete for a championship in Year 1 will hinge heavily upon the back line.
“You won’t win championships without a good defensive record, so to give us the chance at being above the line and having a solid position, we have to be a team that can contain the opposition,” Cushing said. “To defend the way we did in Game 1 after two weeks (of training), it showed the potential we have is going to be high.”
Behind the defense, Cushing said the starting goalkeeper job is still up for grabs.
Summit FC has veteran Abby Smith, a two-time NWSL Champion, as well as rookie Jordan Nytes, a Grandview alum who is coming off a prolific career with the CU Buffs. The goalies split time in the exhibition against the Current. Summit FC general manager Curt Johnson said he plans to sign one more goalkeeper sometime in the next couple weeks.
Cushing will continue to evaluate the position but doesn’t want to platoon there, and will settle on a starter heading into the regular season. Summit FC will train at Infinity Park in Glendale for the next couple of weeks before heading to Indio, Calif., for an exhibition tournament at the Coachella Valley Invitational. There, the team will play the Utah Royals and San Diego Wave FC.
Summit FC’s inaugural match is March 14 against Bay FC at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., followed by two more road contests before making its Denver debut on March 28 against the Washington Spirit at Empower Field. The game has already sold 40,000 tickets, so it is well on pace to shatter the NWSL single-game attendance record of 40,091, set last August in a match between Bay FC and the Spirit at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
Sonis will be thinking of her late father when she takes the pitch that day at Empower Field — Gary Beckie died from skin cancer when she was seven years old — and will relish having her family in the stands, along with what she hopes is a crowd that approaches the stadium’s maximum capacity.
“I’m not surprised at all by the Denver community showing up for this team,” Sonis said. “I know they’ve been eager to have women’s professional sports back in Denver for a long time (since the Colorado Xplosion basketball team in the 1990s).
“I’ve envisioned that moment walking onto the pitch many times already. It’s going to be an incredibly special moment, and I’d love to see us push that number to 50,000, 60,000-plus.”
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