TOKYO, Japan — Mesa native Julie Ertz and the U.S. Women's National Team is now one step away from a medal in the Tokyo Olympics after beating the Netherlands in a penalty kick shootout Friday morning.
The question now is which medal will it be?
USWNT's Megan Rapinoe converted the deciding penalty in a shootout and the United States advanced to the semifinals of the women's Olympic soccer tournament 4-2 following a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands.
The incredibly close win comes just after another close game for the U.S. women's team, who made it through to the quarterfinals of the tournament after a 0-0 draw with Australia on Tuesday.
The match against the Netherlands was do-or-die for Team USA, who will now be moving on to fight a border war with Canada in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics tournament on Monday at 1 a.m. MST.
The upcoming medal would be the Americans' fifth Olympic gold medal. They are also vying to become the first team to win at the Olympics following a World Cup title.
The world got its first look at Julie Ertz during the 2015 World Cup, according to the U.S. Soccer website.
"The Chicago Red Stars defender, NWSL Rookie of the Year, and 23-year-old starting center back was a dominant ball-winner in the U.S.’s run to the title," the website said.
Ertz admits that sports helped her grow and without them, she wouldn’t have been able to attend college because of how expensive it is, the governance body's website said. So she and her husband created the Ertz Family Foundation, a charity that creates opportunities for children in sports and education.