NFL
By Keith Richards
The 2026 NWSL season, and the inaugural season for Denver Summit FC, is four days away. Before the Summit takes on Bay FC, let’s complete our analysis of the Denver inaugural roster. So far, we’ve analyzed the forwards, the midfielders, and the defenders. To complete this journey, we will analyze the goalkeepers. While they will be the last group we discuss, they are not the least by any stretch of the imagination.
Denver Summit FC’s Summit Snow Kit, the second of the club’s two 2026 NWSL uniforms.
As of today, the goalkeepers on the inaugural roster for Denver Summit FC are:
- Abby Smith
- Jordan Nytes
- Pauline Peyraud-Magnin
There can only be one goalkeeper on the pitch at once. So, the competition in this group is the fiercest. Let’s check out each!
Abby Smith
Abby Smith was the first goalkeeper signed to the Summit FC inaugural roster. Like many other players on the roster, Abby comes to Denver with a wealth of experience. Smith is a two-time NWSL Champion. Abby Smith was a member of the 2022 Portland Thorns FC team that won the title. In addition, Smith started in 15 matches for Gotham FC in 2023 when they won the NWSL Championship.
She suffered a season-ending injury in August of that season, but had four clean sheets before that. Across over 70 appearances in her senior career, Abby has 14 clean sheets. She also had an excellent career at the University of Texas. Her 30 clean sheets earned her multiple All-Big 12 first team selections. Abby Smith even scored three goals as the goalkeeper in Austin. Will she start? Her veteran leadership and experience give her a good shot. Either way, Abby will be a valuable piece for the goalkeeper group.
Jordan Nytes
It seems that every position group of the inaugural roster has a Colorado connection. It’s no different with the goalkeepers. Jordan Nytes fulfills that requirement for the goalkeepers. Consequently, Nytes will be the least experienced of the group. However, that’s not a knock on her abilities or ceiling. It just means she’s the youngin’ keepers with more to prove, which can be a fantastic thing for a young player.
While Jordan finished her collegiate career at the University of Colorado, she also spent a season at Oklahoma State. During her freshman season, Nytes had six shutouts in 17 matches. She was named to the All-Big 12 first team. In addition, Jordan was the co-Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year. Nytes’ success continued with CU in Boulder. She had 26 clean sheets over three seasons. Jordan Nytes was the Big 12 Goalkeeper in 2024 and 2025.
In 2025, she was a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, which led to her being a First Team All-American. She may be young, but she has the chops to be able to hang with the two other keepers on the roster.
Pauline Peyraud-Magnin
There’s no other way to describe her. Pauline Peyraud-Magnin is a beast. Of the three goalkeepers, she has the most appearances and championships. She must be the presumed starter heading into the season. That’s not a knock on Smith. Summit FC would do well with Abby as the starter, but Peyraud-Magnin just has that edge over her. Pauline has played with some of the top Women’s clubs in Europe, including Lyon, Arsenal, and Juventus. It’s with Juventus where she’s truly shone.
In Peyraud-Magnin’s first season with Juventus in 2021-22, she helped lead the club to a treble: Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana titles. In addition, Pauline has another Coppa Italia title and a Serie A Women’s Cup title to her name with Juventus. With over 20 Serie A clean sheets and over 70 caps with the French National team, Pauline Peyraud-Magnin is likely to be one of the best keepers in the NWSL.
Season Prediction
Being the new kid on the block is always hard. However, Denver Summit FC has assembled a strong inaugural roster for its first season. The dream, of course, would be to win it all in the first season. Can they do it? I’m not so sure. While they have looked strong without Lindsey Heaps in the preseason, they won’t know how good they truly are until she arrives in June.
So, do I think they will win it all? No. However, I do think Summit FC can make the playoffs in its first season. If they can do that, it will be an extremely successful inaugural season. One thing is for certain: the 14ers are beyond ready to see this team take the pitch on March 14th. Their first home match on March 28th is going to be explosive. Can’t wait to experience it!
