US Women Win Bronze in Swan Song for Major Stars

Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe scored 2 each in 4-3 win over Australia
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 5, 2021 7:19 AM CDT
US Women Win Bronze in Swan Song for Major Stars
United States' Carli Lloyd celebrates scoring her side's third goal against Australia in the women's bronze medal soccer match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, in Kashima, Japon.   (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

It's been a disappointing Olympics for the US women's soccer team, which won gold in 1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012—but they won't be going home empty-handed. Team USA survived a dramatic late comeback from Australia on Thursday and took the bronze medal with a 4-3 victory, the AP reports. Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd scored two goals each, with Lloyd's second goal putting her ahead of Abby Wambach as the leading US Olympic scorer. Lloyd's goal early in the second half made it 4-1 to the US, but Australia scored their second minutes later and Emily Gielnik made it a tense finish for the US with a stoppage-time third goal for Australia.

With a World Cup win in 2019, the US team was considered the world's best, but this may have been the final tournament for some of its biggest stars, including 39-year-old Lloyd and 36-year-olds Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn, reports NBC. After Lloyd was replaced in the 81st minute, teammates ran over for high-fives and she received a standing ovation from the bench. Team USA's Olympics got off to a rough start when their 44-game unbeaten streak was broken with a loss to Sweden—the same team that eliminated them in the quarterfinals at the Rio 2016 Games. In the semifinals, they were beaten by Canada for the first time in 20 years. Canada will play Sweden in the gold medal game Friday. (More Team USA (soccer) stories.)

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