United States women's national team captain Lindsey Heaps wore the captain's armband and tallied the game-winning assist in her Denver Summit FC debut on Saturday.
Denver defeated the Portland Thorns 2-1 in front of an announced sellout crowd of 12,372 fans in the team's first game at Centennial Stadium, a temporary venue built by the club until its permanent stadium nearer to downtown is ready in 2028.
Heaps signed a pre-contract with Denver in January after four years in France with OL Lyonnes. She grew up in Golden, Colorado, about 20 minutes west of Denver.
"It's been amazing," Heaps told reporters after the match. "But again, from afar, it's been so special to see. I keep saying it, but everything the organization has done -- the ownership and from there down -- I think we've just done it in such a proper way."
Heaps nearly scored in her debut but was twice denied from close range just before halftime. Her first attempt with her head was saved before she got to her own rebound inside the six-yard box.
Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold was already laying on the goal line from the previous save and managed to keep the ball from crossing the line.
Heaps also had a clear opportunity from close range blocked by a defender in the first half.
She assisted the game-winning goal in the 86th minute, when Natalie Means floated a shot over Arnold from the right side of the box. It appeared to be a cross by Means, but Summit defender Janine Sonis said after the game that Means told her she saw the opportunity to shoot.
Sonis scored the equalizer for Denver in the 8th minute of first-half stoppage time, also on a cross that floated over everyone -- Heaps being the closest Summit player -- and into the net at the back post.
Forward Sophia Wilson opened the scoring in the 25th minute from the penalty spot after drawing a foul on Sonis in the box.
"I don't feel like there was ever a moment that we felt like we weren't going to come back," Heaps said.
Denver's victory brought the expansion team within one point of the playoff line as the halfway point of the season approaches.
Saturday marked Heaps' first game in the NWSL since 2021.
She played for Portland for five years before departing for Lyonnes and won the 2018 NWSL MVP award and 2017 NWSL Championship with the Thorns.
Heaps began training with the Summit in early July. Denver head coach Nick Cushing announced publicly earlier this year that Heaps would be the team's captain despite joining after the start of the season.
Heaps first finished her contract with Lyonnes, which made it to the UEFA Women's Champions League final before losing to Barcelona.
She was officially eligible to play for Denver as of Monday, when the NWSL's transfer window opened.
"We asked Lindsey [on] Thursday what she was capable of, what she felt she was capable of, and she just didn't even answer the question -- she just turned around and walked off," Cushing said. "So, I took that as the whole game and more.
"But she's a winner, right? So, I think the most pleasing part or the most inspirational part for ourselves and the fans and me included, is she came here with real purpose today. And this was a real big occasion for her and it meant a lot to her."
Heaps' return home comes 14 years after she left Colorado as an 18-year-old to become the first American women's soccer player to turn professional out of high school.
She signed with Paris Saint-Germain in France in 2012 and stayed there for four years before joining Portland.
She returned to Colorado as the captain of the United States as the 2027 World Cup approaches.
"I said I don't want to just come here because it's my home," Heaps told ESPN recently.
"I want to make sure it's right for me, because I still have a lot of goals and dreams in my career, especially with the World Cup coming up next summer. That's never a given, and I want to be in a place where I am competing for that team."