Admittedly, I don't know Janine Sonis' middle name.
But I'd like to nominate "Clutch" as a suitable option.
Sonis donned the captain's armband and salvaged three points for her hometown Denver Summit FC in beating Utah on Saturday night, 2-1.
"I was in tears," said Ally Brazier after watching her fellow Colorado native secure victory. "It just shows how much we care. To see it all fall together in front of the fans, we needed [that] after a really hard week."
Three games in seven days, finishing with a clash against a team near the top of the NWSL table, is more than just a really hard week - that is brutal.
And to add injury to exhaustion, Denver was once again without midfielder Lindsey Heaps for the 2nd straight match as she navigates swelling in her right knee, forcing Cushing to be flexible with his starting XI.
Brazier was tabbed to be the club's striker in lieu of both Melissa Kössler and Olivia Thomas - while Yuna McCormack and Natalie Means joined her as changes to the starting lineup from the Summit's mid-week loss to the Courage.
If we're going to make Janine's middle name "Clutch," then we need to consider adding "Danger" in between "Yazmeen" and "Ryan."
The Summit's most dangerous player through most of the first half wreaked havoc on the Royals defense, but while her efforts created chances in Utah's box none were able to influence the scoreboard.
In the 51st minute, Eva Gaetino made an aggressive move to dispossess Utah right around midfield that started the attack which ended in the game's opening goal. Sonis later floated a ball into the box that gave Ryan a chance to make something happen - and after a deft first touch to bring the ball down in front of her Ryan did not waste this opportunity at goal.
The goal marked Ryan's 4th of the season - she scored just four all of last season with Houston.
Cushing kept his foot on the gas despite going a goal to the good, bringing on Tash Flint for McCormack in the 66th minute.
Utah never dropped their pressure, and in the 89th minute a clearance gone wrong sat nicely for Tatumn Milazzo and she tied up the match for the Royals. At the time, it felt like points dropped once again for Denver.
"We have to embrace [the stumbles that come with being an expansion team]," said Cushing. "Yes we have to chase the game model, and chase the idea, and chase the culture, but at the same time we have to embrace the chaos. If we do that, I think we'll give ourselves a chance."
The Summit embraced the chaos, and Ryan earned a free kick just outside the Royals' box. And Janine Sonis proved to be much like Thanos for the Summit - she is constant, she is inevitable.
Four minutes into stoppage time, Sonis stood over that free kick and measured up her angles. There was no hesitation in her build up, only confidence that expressed itself in a picture-perfect shot into the bottom-left corner.
"I think the best part of Janine is when I talk about having a "next moment" mentality is that she has that in abundance," said head coach Nick Cushing after the win. "That's the mentality that our team has to have, let's just embrace it, play with no fear, and go and attack teams."
Sonis' club-leading 8th goal of the season won the game, and perhaps shifted the trajectory of Denver's future. It also keeps her tied for 6th place in NWSL scoring with her fellow Colorado native, Sophia Wilson.
The win takes Denver up to 9th place in the NWSL table and level on points with the team in 8th place, Angel City. That means they are only one point out of the league's final playoff spot with 12 matches left to play.
The Summit will now look to make the most of their next five days off before traveling to Southern California and facing the San Diego Wave on Friday, March 14th.
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** game played at DICK's Sporting Goods Park
other home matches scheduled to be played at Centennial Stadium