The United States won their third-straight gold medal in soccer on Thursday, defeating Japan by a score of 2-1. The win was especially sweet for Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach and the other members from the 2011 World Cup team that lost to Japan in penalty kicks.
Carli Lloyd scored the first goal of the game in the eighth minute. Morgan sent a beautiful pass across the box to Lloyd, who headed it into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. Lloyd scored the second goal of the match as well, this time connecting on a strike from just outside the box in the 54th minute.
Japan cut the deficit to 2-1 with a goal in 63rd minute. They had numerous scoring opportunities late, but goalkeeper Hope Solo came up huge down the stretch to preserve the lead for the United States. She turned away 12 of the 13 shots she faced.
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