US women's soccer team beats Japan 2-1 for gold medal

There's little doubt that losing the 2011 World Cup final to Japan was gold-medal fuel for the U.S. women's soccer team in London, and no one had more in her tank than Carli Lloyd. The veteran midfielder scored two goals, the first on a nervy header just eight minutes into the match, that gave the Americans their fourth Olympic gold with a 2-1 victory. Even with the early U.S. lead, it was a wildly entertaining and dramatic match: the Japanese put two shots off the crossbar in the first half before scoring, and Hope Solo turned back an unmarked Mana Iwabuchi with a spectacular save in the 83rd minute.

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