The soccer squad had a late-game lapse last night -- they gave up a goal in the 82nd minute and had to settle for a tie with the Aussies. The letdown overshadowed Kristine Lilly's goal, one of the most spectacular yet this Olympics.

"On the whole we're dissatisfied with our performance," coach April Heinrichs said. "I'm optimistic that in the knockout phase we'll play with a little less caution and with a little more aggressive mentality."

Japan is next in the quarters (Friday morning on MSNBC). Brandi Chastain, blogging from Athens, has a plan: "We will need to move the Japanese from side to side, penetrate with decisive entry passes, and unbalance them with multiple options."