Carli Lloyd Puts Exclamation Mark on U.S. Women’s Soccer Run to Gold Medal

It wasn't easy and it wasn't without some late drama, but the U.S. women's Olympic team took home the gold medal after a tense 2-1 win over Japan on Thursday.

Thanks to two goals by Carli Lloyd, a handful of clutch saves by Hope Solo and some inspirational play by Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan, the women did what they couldn't in last year's World Cup — defeat Japan in the final game.

Now, to the victors go the spoils, and the U.S. women are on top of the world.