In grueling heat and on the backend of an equally unforgiving schedule, the United States Women’s National Team is through to the gold-medal match with a 1-0 victory over Germany on Tuesday in Lyon at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Sophia Smith’s chipped finish from a deep angle within the right side of the German box in the 95th minute proved to be the winner as the 23-year-old striker joined her prolific teammates up top, Trinity Rodman and Mallor Swanson, with three goals at the Summer Games.
The USWNT will play either Brazil or Spain in the gold-medal match on Saturday — which just so happens to be Smith’s 24th birthday —in what will be their first Olympic final since London 2012 while providing a considerable break in an Olympic fixture list that saw the Americans play five matches in 12 days.
Tuesday was the USWNT’s second straight match that went into extra time after squeaking past Japan 1-0 thanks to a brilliant goal from Rodman. It was the first time since 2004 that USWNT played extra time in consecutive Olympic fixtures while the 0-0 scoreline after regular time was just the second Olympic women’s soccer semifinal that had been scoreless after 90 minutes and the first since Brazil/Sweden in 2016.
In the fifth minute of extra time, Smith was able to deke around a German defender while chasing a through ball from Swanson into the top of the box. Keeper Ann-Katrin Berger attempted to meet Smith roughly 15 yards from goal, but the American forward managed to chip the ball over outstretched German hands and into the bottom left corner of the goal.
Germany nearly had an equalizer in the 119th minute, just 60 seconds from time, when a second cross off a free kick from just outside the box found the head of Laura Freigang from close range, but American keeper Alyssa Naeher managed to get a leg on it while rushing out to meet her with a star jump.
Despite being without their top two forwards in captain Alexandra Popp and leading scorer Lea Schuller, Germany hung with the Americans far better than it had just nine days prior when USWNT ran roughshod over the European nation, 4-1, during the group stage.
The American’s two best chances in a scoreless first half came in the opening minutes. Tierna Davidson had an open header at the right post that was easily wrangled in by German keeper Ann-Katrin Berger in the second minute. Two minutes later, a 3-on-2 American break saw a ball slid to Rose LaVelle in the box, but her shot went straight into the arms of Berger.
The USWNT outshot Germany 6-0 in the opening 45 minutes with five of those attempts landing on target.
Naomi Girma played Mallory Swanson through on goal in the 62nd minute where the forward dribbled around Berger and had an open look on goal. But from the right side of the box, her shot went wide of the near post — though it might not have mattered anyway as the offside flat was up.
Two US headers off a corner in the 78th minute found the head of Lindsey Horan from close range. Her attempt was caught by a diving Berger, once again, rather comfortably.
Swanson had an 86th-minute goal — a neat finish from a tough angle on the left side of the box — waived off because of offside.
