United States a 2-1 victory over Canada

ROBERT MILLWARD August 15, 2008

SHANGHAI, China (AP) Natasha Kai headed in an overtime goal on Friday to give the United States a 2-1 victory over Canada in a storm-delayed game that took more than four hours to complete and secured the Americans a spot in the Olympic women's soccer semifinals.

Coach Pia Sundhage's team now moves on in an attempt to maintain its record of reaching every Olympic final. The U.S. won in 1996 in Atlanta, was runner up to Norway at Sydney 2000, and won again in Athens in 2004.

The coach was pleased that her team kept trying to score even after Kai's goal in the 101st minute.

"With this young team it's healthy that they tried to score another goal," the U.S. coach said. "I'm not opposed to that. I thought they did well."

Shannon Boxx, who provided the cross for the winner in her 100th game for the team, said it had become used to winning tight matches.

"All year this team has been great at dealing with pressure," she said. "We've always fought for 90, 100, whatever it takes. I like the fact that we are creating chances and having different people score goals."

Canadaian coach Even Pellerud, who is stepping down after nine years in charge, was disappointed his team allowed the Americans to play their passing game.

"I hoped to to see my team play as well as they have done before this tournament. We didn't," he said.

"We gave the U.S. team too much time and space to use their passing skills. Normally playing the U.S. brings out the best of us but today we looked a bit tired and didn't have the legs or gas we used to have. They created more than we did."

A thunderstorm began right at kickoff time, and the players were soon playing in a torrential downpour. That didn't stop the Americans from going ahead with a simple move in the 12th minute.

Amy Rodriguez' cross from the right was headed down by Heather O'Reilly and, although Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod partially blocked it, Angela Hucles was perfectly positioned at the far post to nudge the ball over the line.

Eight more minutes were played in awful conditions with thunder and lightning rumbling and flashing around the stadium before the referee, on the advice of the organizers, pulled the players off the field for their own protection. It was also a minute after Canada had been forced to replaced an injured goalkeeper, Karina LeBlanc taking over from McLeod.

The delay lasted an hour and 40 minutes - more than the whole length of a game - before the storm moved on and the players came back out.

The technically superior Americans created better chances but that didn't keep Canada from tying it in the 30th minute.

They lost possession just outside their own area, Clare Rustad won the ball and Sinclair took over, firing a 22-meter shot that flew past goalkeeper Hope Solo inside the far post.

Hucles should have made it 2-1 in the 34th minute, when she had only goalkeeper LeBlanc to beat from 12 meters out. But she pulled her shot well wide of the far post.

The Americans kept putting together imaginative moves in the second half, but they tended to try and walk the ball into the net as soon as they got inside Canada's penalty area.

When Hucles got clear again in the 71st minute, she went for goal but shot straight at LeBlanc.

The Canadians rarely threatened, but Sinclair came close to snatching the lead in the 79th minute with a low, left-foot 22-yard kick that Solo saved one-handed, diving to her left.

Rodriguez almost scored the winner in the final minute of second half injury time when she outpaced a defender, only to have LeBlanc to push her shot around the post.

Extra time was 11 minutes old when the Americans went ahead again. Shannon Boxx sent in a looping cross from the left and Kai, who replaced Heather O'Reilly at the start of the first extra period, got behind the Canadian defense to head past the exposed LeBlanc from five meters.

Substitute Lauren Cheney should have made it 3-1 when Kai ran down the left and gave her a clear shooting chance, but she shot wide.