U.S. Women’s Olympic Curling Team Beats Britain in Overtime

The U.S. Women’s Olympic Curling team, behind from the start, fought back to beat Great Britain in overtime.

Nicole Joraanstad of USA releases the stone as Allison Pottinger (L) and Natalie Nicholson sweep during Women's Curling at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Alex Livesey/Getty Images

There were still too many missed opportunities and bad passes. The strategy was still too conservative at times, and simply off at others.

Despite that, the U.S. Women’s Olympic Curling team, behind from the start, fought back to beat Great Britain in overtime, earning their second victory in Olympic play.

Granted, it was Great Britain’s 19-year-old skip Eve Muirhead missing key shots that got the U.S. into the eleventh end, and got them the win, but the U.S, team didn’t miss in the crucial eleventh end. U.S. skip Debbie McCormick buried shot rock with only a sliver exposed, and Muirhead was not able to hit that sliver.

McCormack still had her troubles with weight and line. She threw two airballs in the third set, and shot much too light one key shots in the fifth, seventh and ninth ends. But she also made the game-winning shot in the eleventh, freezing a her rock onto the UK rock to leave America lying one.

The United States didn’t generate much offense with the hammer, but they managed to steal four points and held the British team to one, in the opening end.

Allison Pottinger bolstered the Americans, shooting 95 percent for the first several ends, and 85 percent for the game. Nicole Joraanstad also played big, shooting 82 percent, and making some key shots.

The U.S. team faces its toughest test when it plays unbeaten Canada at noon EST.