Goalkeeper heroics, Rapinoe conversion saves day for U.S. women in soccer

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Megan Rapinoe converted the deciding penalty in a shootout and the United States advanced to the semifinals of the women’s Olympic soccer tournament 4-2 following a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands.

United States goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher stopped Vivianne Miedema’s opening attempt in the shootout and then saved a shot from Aniek Nouwen before Rapinoe put her penalty away.

Rapinoe turned to her teammates, folded her arms and grinned in triumph after scoring in the shootout.

This was their first match of the knockout stage of the Tokyo Olympics, and with that, the Americans will advance to next face Canada in the semifinals in Kashima on Monday.

It was a dramatic finish as the score was tied 2-2 at the end of 120 minutes of game time, which included two additional 15-minute extra time periods. The game came down to penalty kicks.

The kicks started with an epic save by Naeher of a kick by Netherlands' Miedema, giving the U.S. an advantage. Penalty kicks were then scored by the U.S. by Rose Lavelle, Alex Morgan, Christen Press and Rapinoe.

Naeher blocked two of the Netherlands' four penalty kicks, while the Americans scored on each attempt. Legend Rapinoe had the final word, with a right-footed kick pounding into the top back corner of the goal.

It was a generally epic day for Naeher who, in addition to blocking those two penalty kicks at the end of the match, blocked another penalty earlier in the match. Had she missed that attempt by Lieke Martens, which happened within minutes of the end of the second period, the entire trajectory of the match would have changed.

Former and current players on the U.S. women's national soccer team have been embroiled in a legal battle for equal pay and treatment from the U.S. Soccer Federation. A judge dismissed the lawsuit last summer, and the players have since appealed the decision.

Alongside the conclusion of Friday's game, several amicus briefs were filed in support of the players. This included one from the U.S. men's team, which failed to qualify for the Olympics, that said the "men stand with the women in their fight to secure the equal pay they deserve."

Arguing that the women's pay was only similar to the men's because the women had consistent spectacular success buoying their pay, the men's brief said, "A woman's rate of pay is not equal to a man's if the woman must consistently achieve better outcomes merely to get to the same place."

"If anything, true equality should have led to the women in 2017 being paid more than the men were paid under their 2011 agreement," the brief for the United States National Soccer Team Players Association, the labor organization for current and former men's national team players, stated.

The U.S. team faced some uncharacteristic struggles making it past group play in the early stage of the tournament. They began by losing to Sweden, scoring no goals to Sweden's three.

The Americans came back to their more typical style in the next game, beating New Zealand 6-1, but then drew a draw against Australia.