LYON, France -- It took extra work yet again, but the U.S. women's national team will play for the gold medal after outlasting a resilient Germany 1-0 in a semifinal Tuesday night.
Sophia Smith burst into the spotlight just in time for the Americans, scoring the game winner in the 95th minute to send the U.S. to the ultimate match of this Olympic tournament Saturday in Paris. It will face Brazil in the gold medal match after the Brazilians' upset win over World Cup winners Spain in Tuesday's second semifinal.
One year to the day after enduring one of the lowest moments in program history with a round-of-16 elimination at the Women's World Cup, the USWNT is back exactly where it believes it should be.
"It means everything," Smith said afterward. "We had a tough year last year in every way possible, but I feel like this is a new year and we're really just showing the world that we didn't ever drop off."
Smith's goal came at the end of a sluggish, stilted match played in steamy conditions, and if that recipe for U.S. success sounds familiar, that's because it is. Just three days ago in the quarterfinals, it was one of Smith's front-line partners, Trinity Rodman, who scored in extra time to break a scoreless tie and send the U.S. through over Japan.
Rodman's strike was a rocket, a blast from distance that rippled the upper corner of the goal. This one was more precise, as Mallory Swanson played a ball in behind and Smith capitalized on a moment of hesitation from Germany's goalkeeper, Ann-Katrin Berger, and defender Felicitas Rauch.
With the ball rolling between the two Germans, Smith lunged in and sent the ball over Berger and into the net. She then fell on her back -- some combination, almost surely, of exhausted and relieved -- as her teammates tumbled beside her.
"I saw a little opening of the net and I was like, 'I've got to put it there,'" Smith said. "I had a few other chances this game that I should have put away, but sometimes one is all it takes."
The victory runs new coach Emma Hayes's unbeaten record with the team to eight games, and it puts the U.S. into its sixth Olympic final (the Americans have won five golds). Hayes praised Smith for her finishing aplomb, but also credited Naomi Girma and the team's defense for being stout in steamy conditions.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher also made a stunning save to preserve the margin with just minutes remaining in extra time, spreading herself big to deny Laura Freigang -- who looked well offside -- from close range.
"It's heart and head and that our group wants to create new history for themselves," Hayes said. "They did enough to get us in the final and that's just the next step. We have to take the next step."
With back-to-back matches going to extra time and the compressed nature of the Olympic tournament, fatigue figures to be a concern for the U.S., though Hayes has addressed those worries head on.
She showed the players a video on Monday of Courtney Dauwalter, an American ultramarathoner who completed three ultramarathons in a row. In the video, Dauwalter talked about creating a "pain cave," where athletes store the pain they're feeling and power through.
Coming through these types of moments together, Hayes said, is exactly what she wants from her players and she believes it bonds the group even more.
"I want them to suffer," she said. "I want them to have that moment because I do not believe you can win without it. ... As Kara Lawson, the amazing basketball coach said, 'Handle hard better.' And I thought we handled the hard part better."
The game began at a languid pace, likely due to both the intense heat -- temperatures were near 90 degrees Fahrenheit -- and a bit of hesitancy from the Germans, who were forced to make two unexpected changes to their preferred lineup.
Team captain Alexandra Popp was a late scratch due to illness, while dynamic forward Lea Schüller was also left out with inflammation in her left knee. Given that Germany had both those players available in the group stage match with the U.S. and still lost 4-1, it wasn't an ideal development.
Still, the Germans were ready, and even as they absorbed early pressure from the U.S., they had chances of their own. If not for a strong hand from Naeher, the Germans would have had a 24th-minute lead that was (mostly) against the run of play.
The U.S. continued to probe, often playing down the left, where Crystal Dunn was incredibly active, but was just as often stymied by Germany's defensive aggression. The referee's whistle was a constant; Nicole Anyomi sent Emily Fox flying with a shoulder barge that was the most notable moment of physicality, while Germany finished the first half with 11 fouls to the Americans' 4.
Hayes looked to inject some energy on the hour, bringing on Lynn Williams in place of Lavelle with Swanson dropping a bit deeper into the midfield -- a tweak that proved critical. Girma, who was the best U.S. player throughout in central defense, responded within minutes by playing Swanson in behind the German backline, only to see Swanson hit the side netting as the assistant referee raised her flag.
Smith had an even better chance about five minutes from time -- she even got the ball in the back of the net -- though her smart finish after running in behind was only possible because she, too, was offside.
Frustrated as they were, though, that combination was what the U.S. needed. Five minutes into extra time, Swanson tried again, and this time Smith held her run perfectly before surging forward to send the U.S. back to Paris.
"We're closer," Swanson said. "But the job's not done yet."