U.S. Women’s Curling Team Defeats Japan in the Later Ends

A big eighth end gives the USA a win

Cortina Bay, ITA- The U.S. Women’s Curling Team took on a Japanese side that was looking to make a move up the standings and reach the top four. As the match went on, the USA were finding ways to beat Japan when they didn’t have the hammer. Not until the very end did they get the big steal of the match, and they would later force Japan to concede and take the victory for their third win in the round robin, as the USA won it by a final score of seven to four in nine ends.

Overview

After a scoreless first end, Japan took the lead in the second using the hammer to knock out the USA’s last stone for a point. Then, in the third end with a congested house early on, Japan would clear the house and take an advantage, but the USA used their fourth stone to clear Japan’s and get back to even. As the USA was setting up its stones again as their seventh landed inside the top of the four-foot, forcing Japan to make a decision. They sent a fastball down the sheet on their eighth stone to remove one of the two remaining stones inside the house, but the USA had the hammer and slowly repositioned it to grab two points and the lead.

In the fourth end, Japan scored another two points, to retake the lead at three-to-two. In the next two ends, the USA got two points to tie and retake the lead at four-to-three. In the fifth end, Japan found a way to sneak in their last stone to knock around the USA’s position, but when they brought the hammer, they knocked out Japan’s last stone and secured the button. In the sixth end, the USA used their eighth stone to position it on the eight-foot on the right side of the house and blocked Japan’s stone to prevent them from getting a point. When Japan used the hammer, it missed the target.

A scoreless seventh end allowed Japan to keep the hammer, but that was their mistake when they played the eighth end. As the USA was setting up the middle of the house nicely, Japan used their sixth stone to clear two of the three USA stones, but the one remaining inside the four-foot on the top left of the house. Then the USA used its seventh stone to slowly land on the right side of the eight-foot and directly next to their other stone inside the four-foot. Japan would send their seventh stone that hits their own guard and somehow removes the USA’s stone on the eight-foot. Then the big play where Tabitha Peterson was able to knock out the Japanese guard and slide into the button.

For Japan, they lost the hammer when Yoshimura Sayaka overshot the entire house and never touched a stone. That was the big end where the USA grabbed three points and the seven-to-three lead. While Japan did win a point in the ninth end, they conceded the match as they knew they couldn’t come back in the tenth end when the USA had the hammer. Right now, the USA’s record is three and one, and currently in the top four of the Women’s Curling Standings, tied with Switzerland with the same record. The Peterson Sisters, Taylor Anderson-Heide, and Mixed Doubles Silver Medalist Cory Thiesse are doing a great job challenging the field.

Olympic Curling News:

• U.S. Men’s Curling Team Gets a Great Start with a Win over Germany. Breaks Two Game Losing Streak
• U.S. Men’s Curling Falls to Canada, Fails on the Hammer
• U.S. Women’s Curling Team Finally Defeats Canada In the Last End
• U.S. Women’s Curling Team Falls to Sweden, Late in the Match

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