Coloradan Sophia Smith scored in extra time and the U.S. Women's National Team secured a spot in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics with a 1-0 victory over Germany.
The Americans, undefeated in France under new coach Emma Hayes, are vying for their fifth gold medal in their sixth appearance in the Olympic women's soccer final. The United States will play the winner of Tuesday's later game between Brazil and Spain on Saturday in Paris. Germany will play for bronze.
Smith broke the scoreless stalemate five minutes into extra time, out-maneuvering defender Felicitas Rauch and German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. Fellow Coloradan Mallory Swanson passed to Smith.
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After netting her third goal of the tournament, Smith fell to the ground in celebration and joined in an embrace with Swanson.
At the final whistle, the U.S. players ran downfield to embrace goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
The Americans had routed Germany 4-1 in the group stage earlier in the tournament.
The U.S. Women’s National Team has missed out on the finals at the last two Olympic tournaments, eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and relegated to the bronze-medal match at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
The U.S. Women's National Team sent a third woman from Colorado to Paris as well: Captain and midfielder Lindsey Horan of Golden. The 27-year-old graduated from Golden High School in 2012.
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Smith, who calls Windsor home, attended Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins. She earned her first Senior National Team call-up in 2017 when she was just 16 years old.
Swanson was born in Littleton and raised in Highlands Ranch. She attended Mountain Vista High School and graduated in 2016.
The Paris Olympics mark Horan's third Olympics, Swanson's second and Smith's first, according to U.S. Soccer.
The USWNT won the gold medal in the first year — 1996, in Atlanta — that welcomed women's soccer to the Olympics. They went on to win silver in 2000 in Sydney, and then three more gold medals in Greece in 2004, Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. In 2021, they came away with a bronze medal.
