US Women’s Soccer Team Advances to Semifinals

The US Women’s Soccer Team has defeated Canada 2-1 to advance to the semifinals of the 2008 Olympic soccer tournament. Natasha Kai headed in an overtime goal clinch the victory in a game which featured an extremely long rain delay.

From the Associated Press:

Coach Pia Sundhage’s team now moves on in an attempt to maintain its record of reaching every Olympic final. The U.S. won in 1996 in Atlanta, was runner up to Norway at Sydney 2000, and won again in Athens in 2004.

The technically superior Americans created better chances but that didn’t keep Canada from tying it in the 30th minute.

The Americans kept putting together imaginative moves in the second half, but they tended to try and walk the ball into the net as soon as they got inside Canada’s penalty area.

Extra time was 11 minutes old when the Americans went ahead again. Shannon Boxx sent in a looping cross from the left and Kai, who replaced Heather O’Reilly at the start of the first extra period, got behind the Canadian defense to head past the exposed LeBlanc from five meters.

Two wins away from a gold medal. The competition will get fierce moving forward in the semifinals but the US team has demonstrated that they are capable of repeating as Olympic champions.