Copper Queens striker Prisca Chilufya was upbeat after coming off the bench to score in Angel City’s 3-3 draw with 2026 NWSL expansion side Denver Summit.
Chilufya revealed the instructions given by the interim head coach Leif Gunnar Smerud on the touchline.
Angel City welcomed Denver Summit to the BMO Stadium as the two sides battled for three points to boost their playoff qualification chances.
Despite the first half not producing a goal until the 45th minute, there was plenty of goal mouth action with both sides coming close.
The deadlock was broken in the 45th minute when a clearance-cum-pass by Sarah Gorden fell to Maiara Niehues just outside the box. With her back to goal, she controlled the ball on her chest before turning and volleying it into the back of the net with her left foot.
The visitors then ventured on an assault of Angel City in the second half, scoring three goals in 12 minutes to turn the game on its head. Klara Melissa Kössler intercepted an erroneous pass by the home side before finding Yuzuki Yamamoto, who scored at 49 minutes.
A minute later, Lindsey Heaps reacted quickest to score from a rebound after a Yazmeen Ryan shot rattled off the crossbar. Janine Sonis made it 3-1 with a goal of the season contender, curling the ball over the goalkeeper from outside the 18-yard area.
“You can change the game” Smerud-tells Chilufya.
Chilufya came in the 62nd minute and scored a minute later on the counterattack.
Angel City secured a point through an Ally Sentnor spotkick after Ayo Oke was penalized in the box.
The hosts survived the scare against the expansion side, earning a point to maintain 9th place with 33 points, just one behind the playoff spot. Meanwhile, Denver Summit is just a place below them, sitting on 31 points.
Speaking in a post-match interview, Chilufya admitted, “They scored the two quick goals in the blink of an eye. But we looked at ourselves. The clock was running, but we did feel like we could do something about it. We couldn’t just allow them to come here at our home and have fun. Our goal was to see how we can spoil their fun.”
The Zambian forward is enjoying her best scoring form since joining Angel City, being on a run of four goals and an assist in her last eight NWSL matches for the club. She has also become a regular feature in the starting XI recently.
“When I was going in, he [Smerud] told me, ‘You can change this game.'” Not just me but Carina [Rose Lageyre] too. He told us, ‘You guys are probably the missing piece for the rest of the game.‘ I want you to go on and push the team‘,” revealed Chilufya.
About her work rate and impact as a substitute, Chilufya added, “When I go in [off the bench], I have nothing to lose. If they have to carry me out of the stadium on a stretcher, then so be it. The team is already fighting for, like, 70 minutes, then I only have, like, 15 or 30 minutes. So if I die, so be it.”
Chilufya, who has five NWSL goals this season, will be looking to get her sixth as Angel City host Seattle Reign FC on September 17. Denver Summit, on the other hand, will take on Racheal Kundananji’s Bay FC on the same date.
