Carli Lloyd scored two goals for the United States, goalkeeper Hope Solo made several big saves, and the U.S. defeated Japan 2-1 in the 2012 Olympic women's soccer gold medal game on Thursday. The win gave the U.S. Women's National Team the gold for the third consecutive Olympic games.
Related: USA Vs. Japan, 2012 Olympics: Hope Solo's Massive Save Keeps USA in the Lead
Lloyd's first goal came in the eighth minute -- a header off a cross by Alex Morgan. The U.S. carried that 1-0 lead into the second half, when Lloyd struck again, this time from distance.
After missing on a number of good scoring opportunities, the Japanese finally broke through in the 63rd minute to pull back to within one. But the U.S. held on from there -- dodging a few more bullets in the process -- and took the gold.
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