U.S. Team Hoping to Extend Streak

The U.S. men’s team is proving that curling can be dramatic too.

Team captain Tim Somerville’s perfectly placed tap on the final shot of the game gave the Americans a 5-4 victory over Japan on Saturday, sending them into the Olympic semifinals against powerful Canada.

The United States, seemingly headed for a low finish in the inaugural Olympic curling tournament, has won three consecutive matches to reach the semifinals and is one victory away from a medal.

The Americans had to beat Britain in their final round-robin match and Sweden in a tiebreaker late Friday just to reach the second tiebreaker against Japan only 12 hours later.

Even if the United States loses later Saturday to Canada, the Americans can win a medal by beating the other semifinal loser--either Norway or Switzerland--in Sunday’s bronze medal match.