womens curling results: Previously winless Italy upsets U.S., 7-2
The U. S. women’s curling team saw a three-game winning streak end Tuesday as previously winless Italy rolled to a 7-2 victory. Italy grabbed control early with a series of steals and never gave the Americans a clean stretch to mount a comeback. The loss drops the U. S. to 4-2 in the standings while Italy earned its first win of the tournament.
Italy seizes momentum with early steals
The match opened oddly for the Americans: Team USA blanked the first two ends despite having the hammer, but errors compounded once Italy began to press. In the third end Stephania Constantini executed a draw to the button, freezing to a U. S. rock with her final throw. Tabitha Peterson chose not to attempt a risky takeout and Italy stole one — the first stolen end they had logged in the event.
That would be the start of a damaging run. In the fourth end the four-foot was available for a U. S. draw that would have yielded a single, but a decision to go for a heavy triple takeout instead left the Americans exposed. Peterson’s shot connected with only one rock and then spun out, enabling Italy to steal two. The fifth end produced another stolen point after a missed takeout attempt left an Italian stone in scoring position heading into the break with Italy up 4-0 — all on stolen ends.
Late pushes not enough; final sequence seals it
Team USA finally scored in the sixth when Peterson drew to the button for one, but Italy reclaimed momentum in the seventh with their first end with hammer and maintained a four-point lead with three ends remaining. The Americans were limited to a single in the eighth, but Italy finished the job in the ninth. With the hammer Constantini removed the lone American stone in the house and added two points to close out a 7-2 result.
U. S. third Cory Thiesse captured the mood bluntly: "It was definitely a struggle for us out there. Me, especially, just kind of had a hard time getting a feel on the ice and I felt like we were kind of chasing the whole game and couldn't really get 100% out of all of our shots. " She later added praise for the opposition: "They're a great team. They played great tonight. They're a lot better team than what their record shows this week, so props to them on playing such a great game. "
Stats, standings and what’s next
Statistically the margin was thin on some measures: the U. S. outshot Italy 82 to 79 percent overall, but Italy led on draw shot percentage (91 to 81) and outpaced the Americans on takeouts, 36-26. Those differences helped Italy control the ends that mattered and convert opportunities when the Americans faltered.
Italy’s victory moves them to a 1-5 mark, their first win, and hands the Americans a 4-2 record that still leaves them tied for second in the pool. The U. S. has little time to dwell on the upset; they are scheduled to face Denmark Tuesday morning at 8: 05 a. m. ET. Italy returns to action at the same time against Japan. Thiesse emphasized perspective after the loss: "It's certainly not ideal, but I think you just forget about this one. We've been playing really well all week and have had a really great grasp on the ice, and we have more games to come, and we still control our own destiny. So just keeping with that, we keep moving forward. "
After a game defined by a string of missed takeout opportunities and key draw execution by Italy, both teams will lean into quick adjustments. For the Americans, recovering the confidence on takeouts and read of the ice will be essential if they intend to steady their march through the round-robin. For Italy, the breakthrough proves they can put pressure on higher-ranked opponents and suggests they should not be overlooked despite earlier results.
