AURORA, Colo. — Starting at 3 years old, Jordan Nytes found her calling "between the sticks" and now has made it to the professional level as a goalkeeper for Denver Summit FC. This Colorado native remembers her roots playing for Grandview High School and being apart of the championship state team in 2022.
"We made it past some of the best opponents in the state, and we were underdogs through it all, which was the best part about it. We all just like pushed each other and there was nothing better than winning state that year, like it was some of the best memories I ever had," Nytes said.
At the time, Brian Wood was the head girls soccer coach who took over after his wife retired from the position. He previously coached the boys soccer team, and recognized this girls team was a strong group.
"We were lucky. We had quite a bit of talent, which was good and we also had lots of years where we had over 100 players come out to try to play," Wood said. "So there was lots of selection of players. We were really lucky to have a couple of clubs right in the area that developed players really well."
Wood beamed looking at the trophy case inside of Grandview High School, remembering the championship run and how the team developed over that season.
"We knew we had a strong group. We started off kind of slow and struggled to score goals, but we had Jordan in the back. We only lost one game that year and that was to Valor and it was one nothing and the girl had just an amazing shot," Wood said.
In the semifinal game, they played at Denver University and went into a double overtime beating the number one seed Valor Christian High School. Wood remembered Nytes catching the soccer ball with one hand during that game and continuing to play.
"So that was kind of amazing thing that happened during that game. She was just so focused and so confident in her skills, and it's just fun to see," Wood said.
Beyond the memories from this season and being state champions, Nytes will never forget the friendships she developed on this team and the semifinal game that got them there.
"The lights had gone out like on the field, it was like 11 p.m. and we just scored. I remember like I just had full body chills, like I was crying. Everybody was crying. It was just the most insane thing, like one of my biggest soccer memories for sure," Nytes said.
This player and coach returned back to the practice fields at Grandview High School to take a trip down memory lane and to reflect on Nytes now playing at the professional level in her home state.
"I'm playing with some of the most talented players in the world, and I'm learning so much every day from such a great ownership team and great coaches and that all stems from like the experiences I've had in high school and club soccer, even when I was just a little kid," Nytes said. "It's definitely surreal, full circle, and just super incredible that I'm able to be a part of this."
For Wood, he is able to watch his once goalie achieve her goals and cheer her on along the way.
"It's awesome. It's so much fun to have a player that you had play here and play in the in the professional ranks. She's not our first, but she's our first one here that's actually playing in the Denver area, that's a really neat thing," Wood said.
The clock is ticking as Denver Summit FC will soon make history in their new temporary home at Centennial Stadium against the Portland Thorns. Denver7 has tips on how you can watch and where to park.
July 2026
August 2026
September 2026
October 2026
November 2026
** game played at DICK's Sporting Goods Park
other home matches scheduled to be played at Centennial Stadium
