The United States was held to a 1-1 draw with Canada after a first half of an Olympic women's soccer quarterfinal, which has been suspended for nearly two hours due to the sudden thunderstorm?in?Shanghai?on Friday.

Angela Hucles put the Americans ahead in the 12th minute following O'Reilly's head flicker from a Amy Rodriguez pass left Hucles facing an empty net at the far post.

Eight minutes later Swedish referee Jenny Palmqvist decided to suspend the match as a sudden thunderstorm hit the Shanghai Stadium. The heavy rain and fierce lightning made it not safe for players to continue playing.

The match began on 18:00 (local time), broke on 18:20 and was resumed on 20:00 after BOCOG officers saw the rain reduce and the lightning disappear.

Canada seemed to restore their energy after the break. Ace striker Christine Sinclair leveled the score with an outstanding long-range shot on 30 minutes to beat a full-stretched Hope Solo.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15,2008)