Balancing full-time jobs, Thiesse and Dropkin make U.S. curling history

“We knew that this was our game to win. They’re a great team, but we knew we needed to bring our A game, and we did that today,” Thiesse said. “We’re really proud of us. We’re just thrilled to be here, to be playing in front of this crowd and in front of our friends and family and people back home watching. We’re just trying to enjoy the moment and take it one rock at a time,” she told Reuters.

“It feels amazing. This is where we wanted to be,” Dropkin said. “It’s a journey to get here. There are so many great teams here, and you’ve got to battle each one of them, so there are no easy wins. We’re happy to put together a great game to secure the playoffs.”

The U.S. defeated Norway, Switzerland, Canada, Czechia, Sweden and Estonia in its six wins so far at these Games.

The United States closed out round-robin play with a 7-6 loss to host nation Italy, finishing with a 6-3 record. Despite the loss, the U.S. had already secured qualification for the semifinals.

Now, the team sits one win away from guaranteeing at least a medal opportunity at the Olympics for the first time in U.S. Olympic history in this event. The United States will face Italy again in the semifinals at 12:05 p.m. ET in a rematch.