Mallory Swanson said teammate Trinity Rodman gave the US a magical boost when the team needed it most. Rodman scored in extra time on Saturday, and the US advanced to the women's soccer semifinals at the Paris Olympics with a 1-0 victory over Japan. "Ultimately in games like this, sometimes it just takes a little bit of magic, and little bit of individual brilliance, and that's what Trin did," Swanson said. The US will face the winner of the match between Germany and defending champion Canada in Marseille on Tuesday, the AP reports. Rodman's goal to the top of the far post came in stoppage time in the first extra period. Rodman fell to the field as she was embraced by her teammates in celebration.
"I kind of blacked out," Rodman said when asked to describe the goal. "That's like the best moment in my career." It was Rodman's third goal of the tournament. She nearly scored again in the second extra period. The US went into the knockout match undefeated and outscoring opponents 9-2 at the Games under new coach Emma Hayes, but Japan foiled the Americans with steady defense. "I keep saying this but we want to just keep improving and I think that's what we're doing," Rodman said. "Being around so many players and staff that want to improve every single day is helping me be my best self and my most confident self."
- Men's basketball: The US earned a spot in the quarterfinals with a 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico on Saturday. Anthony Edwards scored 26 points, and six players reached double figures, per the AP. After going 3-0 in Group C play, the US will have the top seed in the quarterfinals, per CBS Sports. Coach Steve Kerr's assessment was similar to Rodman's. "Part of this tournament is it gets harder as you go," he said Saturday. "Our goal is just to try to get better each game."
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