Both semifinals in the Paralympic Women's Goalball competition went right down to the wire with China and the United States qualifying for the gold medal game at the Beijing Institute of Technology Gymnasium on Sunday morning.
The United States stages successful comeback against Denmark
The United States staged a remarkable fight back to reach the gold medal match, defeating Denmark 4-3. Denmark scored two goals in the first minute but the United States got one back through Asya Miller. Lykke Vedsted then scored her second goal and Denmark led 3-1.
Jen Armbruster narrowed the margin to one with six minutes remaining in regular time and Miller tied the game with two minutes left.
Scores remained tied 3-3 at fulltime and the game went into overtime. Aysa Miller then scored the winning goal to send the United States to the gold medal match against China on Sunday evening.
China scrapes into gold medal match
China defeated Sweden 4-3 after scoring three goals to Sweden's two after a dramatic series of penalty throws. Scores were tied at 1-1 at the end of regular time with the goal scorers being China's Wang Ruixue and Sweden's Malin Gustavsson. Gustavsson scored the equalizer with just 39 seconds of regular time remaining. Neither team scored a goal in the six minutes overtime, thus forcing the match to a penalty shootout.
China won the first round of penalty throws, scoring five goals to Sweden's two. China then won the second round of penalty throws, which occurred because Sweden successfully protested that its athletes had been brought out in the wrong order to throw.
(BOCOG September 14, 2008)