U.S. women strike gold on diamond; soccer team reaches final

ATHENS — From Athens to Crete, American women dominated the spotlight Monday at the 2004 Summer Games.

The U.S. women's softball team completed an overpowering run to the gold medal, by pounding Australia 5-1 in Athens. In Crete, the American women's soccer team needed overtime to stop Germany, 2-1, not only advancing to the gold-medal but avenging a semifinal loss in the last World Cup.

But the U.S. men had there moments, too, highlighted by a gold-silver-bronze sweep in the 400-meter run.

Slugger Crystl Bustos lead the way in the U.S. softball squad's gold-medal victory. She slammed two home runs, driving in three runs, and that was all the U.S. team needed to finish its Olympic run with a 9-0 record and a 51-1 edge in runs.

The United States has won all three gold medals since the sport was added to the Olympic Games in 1996, but this was its first undefeated run to the title. One mark did fall, however, when the Aussies became the first team to score on the Americans in these Games.

Veteran Lisa Fernandez gave up two of her four hits in the first inning, pitched a complete game for the United States. A bloop double by Sandra Allen, that dropped between converging fielders in shallow right field was followed by Stacey Porter's single to spoil the shutout streak.

Bustos pounded both of her homers off Aussie ace Tanya Harding, and Stacey Nuveman hammered another as the Americans built a 5-0 after three innings.

Harding, a former UCLA star who defeated the U.S. team in the 1996 Games in Atlanta, lasted just 2 1/3 innings. She left after yielding seven hits and five runs.

"We dominated from beginning to end," said Nuveman. "It was a total team effort, I mean obviously we were led by Lisa Fernandez but everybody had their day, had their chance to shine. I can not be more excited about the way this ended, with a gold medal around our necks."

Later Monday, the U.S. women's soccer team faced its toughest draw of the Games. The ground-breaking crew of Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Briana Scurry and Julie Foudy needed to beat Germany in a semifinal Monday night to keep alive their dreams of another gold.

It was a tall order, but veteran Kristine Lilly scored in the 33rd minute to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead. Isabell Bachor tied it in the 77th minute with a shot that glanced off a U.S. defender and past Scurry.

In the extra period, Hamm, one of the "Fab Five" that energized the women's game in the United States, carried the ball deep and set up Heather O'Reilly with a short cross. Cross converted and the Americans advanced to face either Sweden or Brazil on Thursday in Athens.