KASHIMA, Japan — If this was the last game at a major international tournament for Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd, they sure made it one to remember.
Rapinoe scored twice – including the rare olimpico – and Lloyd set the U.S. women's record for most career Olympic goals as the U.S. women beat Australia 4-3 on Thursday to win the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games. Lloyd's goals, in stoppage time in the first half and in the 51st, gave her 10 total at the Olympics, passing Abby Wambach.
Though this was only the third time since the World Cup (1991) and Olympic (1996) tournaments began that the USWNT had failed to make the final, it at least avoided being shut out like it was in Rio, when it lost in the quarterfinals.
"As you can imagine, we've done lots of talking and meetings and hashing it all out and doing the autopsy," Rapinoe said of how the team reacted after the semifinal loss to Canada . "But I felt like we just got to a good place and we're either going to come out and play great or play shitty so just be a bit more free. Trust in ourselves. Trust in each other."
This is the second time the U.S. women have won a bronze medal at a major tournament, following their third-place finish at the 2007 World Cup.
With the next World Cup still two years away, there has been much talk about whether this is the end for some of the USWNT's biggest, and most successful stars. Lloyd is 39, Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn are 36, and Tobin Heath and Kelley O'Hara are 33.
But after looking old and ragged for much of the Tokyo Olympics, the USWNT vets turned back the clock against Australia.
Rapinoe got things off to a raucous start, scoring an "olimpico" in the eighth minute. That's the term for a goal scored directly off a corner kick and, while they're usually rare, this is actually Rapinoe's second at the Olympics after doing it in 2012.
Australia evened it up in the 17th when Adrianna Franch, playing because Alyssa Naeher hyperextended her knee in the semifinal, deflected a Sam Kerr shot into her own net.
Four minutes later, Rapinoe gave the USWNT the lead for good, volleying a botched clearance by the Aussies just below the crossbar.
"We found that joy," Rapinoe said. "We found that freedom. And we just settled into the game early, which is great."
Lloyd's first goal was a cracker. Controlling a pass from Lindsey Horan with her right foot, she went far post with a left-footed rocket. She added a second when she beat Australian goalkeeper Teagan Micah on what was essentially a one-vs.-one after dropping a Matildas defender.
The offensive explosion, to say nothing of the noticeable increase in energy, will raise questions about where this kind of effort was from the Americans earlier in the tournament.
They lost their opener to Sweden, and were held scoreless in two of their three group games. They needed penalties to beat Netherland in the quarterfinal, then lost to Canada for the first time in 20 years in the semifinals.
"We just didn't have our juice. Making simple mistakes, I think, and overthinking it a little bit," Rapinoe said.
"Eventually we'll have to do the debrief and figure out why we played five bad games and had one good game in the tournament."
Canada and Sweden will play Friday for the gold medal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USWNT wins bronze at Olympics as Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd step up
