US Women’s Curling Faces Challenges at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games
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A single miscalculation proved costly for Team USA in their Tuesday round-robin match against China. With the hammer in the eighth end, a seemingly straightforward draw to the button by Danny Casper went awry, gliding too fast and landing in the eight-foot. This allowed China to steal three points and seize a commanding 5-2 lead with just two ends remaining.
A Rollercoaster of Momentum
Despite a valiant effort to rally in the ninth end, securing three points to even the score, the steal in the eighth ultimately proved decisive. China capitalized on having the hammer in the tenth, securing another three points for an 8-5 victory. The U.S. team’s sweepers acknowledged a misread on the crucial eighth-end shot.
“It was a bit of a misread by Ben (Richardson) and I on the sweep there,” said U.S. third Aidan Oldenburg. “Because he threw it good enough to make it and it’s our job as sweepers to make that draw for him in the eighth.”
Casper redeemed himself in the ninth, expertly removing a lone Chinese stone to give his team a fighting chance. However, the comeback fell short in the tenth. Unable to build a strong house, Casper’s final throw again came up short, allowing Xu Xiaoming to seal the win with a three-point hammer throw.
Early Match and Strategic Adjustments
The match began with a trade of single points, with the U.S. leading 2-1 at the fifth-end break. Casper attributed the team’s struggles to a lack of precision. “I think we just struggled making shots, executing, throwing the right weight, everything really,” he said. “Credit to them, but we lost it ourselves.”
The team underwent a stone-papering process on Tuesday night, a procedure to alter the rock’s surface. Casper didn’t believe the previous day off contributed to the loss, but acknowledged the impact of the stone preparation. “Obviously papering the stone does. It was quite the roller coaster out there at the beginning of the game to figure out the paths and what not. I think we had a lot of opportunities to jump on them. We were playing way better than them early on and didn’t capitalize.”
Double Defeat and Playoff Implications
The U.S. team faced a second defeat later that day against Italy, losing 8-5 in front of a passionate home crowd. Four-time Olympian Joel Retornaz led the Italian team, securing a significant lead in the sixth end and maintaining control throughout the match.
Despite the loss, Casper praised the Italian crowd’s energy. “That was awesome. Super fun,” he said. “Obviously, it didn’t come out our way, but the crowd being loud and chanting… it’s super cool to be a part of.”
The losses have significantly impacted the U.S. team’s semifinal hopes. Falling to 4-4, they’ve dropped to 5th in the standings, with only the top four teams advancing. Their final round-robin game is against Great Britain, a crucial match against a team tied with them for 5th place.
Looking Ahead
Despite the setbacks, the team remains determined. “You want to win this to set us up for playoff position, but we’re going to reset and go get it tonight,” Oldenburg said. “We have two games left in round-robin, so every game counts at this point. We’re feeling a little down right now, obviously because we just lost, but we’re hoping to reset and get after.”
Casper echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the need to stay focused. “Just keep grinding. We did a good job of getting three back. We’ve got to keep it going and read the ice for what it is, and I think we’ve got some added motivation.”
The U.S. will face Italy at 1:05 p.m. ET and Great Britain on Wednesday at 8:05 a.m. ET.
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