Tabitha Peterson landed her closing stone on the button Friday to make Team USA curling history, giving the Americans a 9-8 win over Canada in Cortina D’Ampezza, Italy.
United States’ Tara Peterson reacts during the women’s curling round robin session against Canada, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)
The shot sealed Team USA’s first-ever Olympic victory over their neighbors to the north after eight previous losses.
Canada has won each of the past two World Championships, with star skipper Rachel Homan beating Peterson and Co. 8-4 in last year’s World Championship group play battle.
The win also improved Team Peterson — which features East Metro sisters Tabitha and Tara Peterson as well as Taylor Anderson-Heide and Cory Thiesse, the latter of whom won a silver in mixed doubles earlier in these Olympics —to 2-1 in group play.
The Americans next play Japan at 12:05 p.m. Central on Saturday. They finished Friday’s slate tied for third in group play alongside South Korea, a team the U.S. already has toppled. The Americans’ lone loss is to Sweden, which sits atop the table as the lone 3-0 team.
The top four teams at the end of group play reach the medal rounds. The Americans have never medaled in women’s curling.
Friday’s affair was a back-and-forth thriller in which Canada held early leads of 2-0 and 3-2, but the Americans were propelled by a 4-point end in the sixth.
Team USA led 7-5 heading into the ninth, but a missed double on its final stone left the door open for Canada, which capitalized for a 3-point end to capture an 8-7 advantage heading into the 10th end
But it was the Canadians who erred in the final frame, with Homan failing to connect on a double on a fairly simple draw with their closing stone, which set the stage for Peterson’s walk-off winner.
NBC Sports play by play man Jim Kozimor called the victory the “Biggest win in U.S. history.”
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