The United States women’s curling team delivered a composed and clinical performance Saturday at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, pulling away late for a 7–4 victory over Japan in round-robin play.
Locked in a tight contest for much of the game, the Americans held a narrow 4–3 advantage entering the eighth end before producing the decisive moment of the match. With the pressure on, skip Tabitha Peterson executed a perfect final takeout, knocking Japan’s stone from the four-foot and rolling into scoring position to leave the United States sitting three.
Japan skip Sayaka Yoshimura attempted a draw with the hammer to limit the damage, but her stone slid through the house untouched. The miss allowed the United States to steal three points and extend its lead to 7–3, breaking open what had been a defensive, back-and-forth battle.
The eighth-end steal marked the Americans’ second stolen end of the game. Team USA had previously taken a point in the sixth end, part of a stretch in which the American squad held Japan scoreless for four consecutive ends from the fifth through the eighth. That defensive consistency proved decisive in securing control of the match.
Japan managed a single point with the hammer in the ninth end, but the comeback attempt fell short. After Peterson’s final stone left the Americans in strong scoring position, Yoshimura removed one U.S. rock but could not keep her shooter in the scoring area. Facing a three-point deficit entering the final end, Japan conceded the 10th, sealing the American victory.
Peterson led the way with a flawless performance, recording 10 takeouts with a perfect success rate. Cory Thiesse contributed a game-high 14 takeouts as the U.S. team dominated the physical side of the match. Overall, the Americans shot 91 percent on takeouts and 84 percent across all shots.
With the win, the United States improved to 3–1 in round-robin competition in Cortina and continued to build momentum heading into the next session. Team USA is scheduled to return to the ice Sunday morning to face China as the tournament moves deeper into preliminary play.
