The United States women’s national soccer team needed extra time on Tuesday to squeak out a 1-0 win against Germany in the Paris Olympic semifinals match to set up a gold medal game against Brazil later in the week.
Neither team was able to get their offense moving through regulation during the semifinal match, but a late goal by USA forward Sophia Smith in the 95th minute ended the game and sent the Americans to their most important match of the year.
The USWNT will now look to win its fifth gold medal, making the final match of Olympic play for the first time since the team won gold during the 2012 London Olympics.
Smith said after the game that everyone on the team is “so dynamic,” which helps the Americans adapt to any style of play.
“We all love to play a similar game. And we like to go in transition, but we’re also learning we can play, we can possess the ball, and we can combine,” Smith added, according to Yahoo Sports.
This team has found ways to win in many different scenarios, scoring as many as four goals in some games and as few as just one goal in others. Still, the USWNT has managed to come out on top of every single Olympic game this year.
Now, the USWNT is looking to show the entire world that they are back and have no plans of going anywhere.
“We had a tough year last year in every way possible,” explained Smith, per The Washington Post.
“This is a new year, and we’re really just showing the world we didn’t ever drop off. We just needed a learning year and a growth year, and we’re back and hopefully on top after this next game.”
This victory came on the first anniversary of the USWNT losing to Sweden in the World Cup Round of 16, which was the earliest loss in a major tournament in program history, as reported by The Washington Post.
While the Team USA forwards have gotten much of the shine during this Olympic run, Head Coach Emma Hayes said the team’s defenders have also been some of the most impactful players.
Hayes spoke about the role Naomi Girma has taken on the team and called her the “best defender” she has ever seen, crediting the defender with a large piece of the success the team has managed to acquire.
“I’ve never seen a player as good as her at the back. She’s got everything, poise, composure, she can defend, she anticipates, she leads. [She’s] unbelievable,” Hayes added, per ESPN.
The USWNT has now won five straight Olympic matches under Hayes, though it will face the toughest opponent of these games in the gold medal match against a Brazil team that easily defeated Germany 4-2.
Team USA previously defeated Brazil during the Women’s Gold Cup final in March, winning 1-0 in a match that the Americans hope is indicative of the future.
The gold medal match is scheduled to take place on Saturday at 10 a.m.