U.S. overcomes Sinclair hat trick, beats Canada 4-3 in Olympic soccer semifinal

LONDON – Christine Sinclair’s hat trick wasn’t enough.

Alex Morgan scored in extra time as the United States beat Canada 4-3 in a women’s soccer semifinal at the London Olympics.

Sinclair scored goals in the 22nd, 67th and 73rd minutes, but each time the Americans battled back.

Megan Rapinoe scored twice for the Americans before star forward Abby Wambach tied the game 3-3 on a penalty in the 80th minute.

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Just before the penalty, the Americans were awarded a controversial free kick just outside the Canadian area when goalkeeper Erin MacLeod was charged for holding on to the ball for too long.

Canada’s Marie-Eve Nault was called for handball on the ensuing free kick, resulting in Wambach’s penalty.

Wambach had a chance to put it away late in extra time but her header went off the bar.

It’s the second Olympics in a row that these rivals have gone to extra time. The U.S beat Canada 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the 2008 Beijing Games.

The U.S. faces Japan for the gold medal on Thursday, while Canada plays France for bronze.

Canada hasn’t beaten the U.S. since 2001.