BEIJING Four current or former women's soccer players from the University of North Carolina received Olympic gold medals Thursday night in China as part of the squad that edged Brazil 1-0 in the championship game.

Starters Heather O'Reilly, Lindsay Tarpley and Lori Chalupny all played the majority of the game for the U.S. Chalupny in particular had a large role, helping defend against Brazilian scoring stars Marta and Cristiane in the shutout. The fourth UNC player – rising junior Tobin Heath – did not get into the game but also received a gold medal in the medal ceremony as one of the team's 18 players.

Said Chalupny after the game ended: “It's amazing. Can't even describe it. Dream come true. All the cliches. It's something you've been dreaming about forever that finally is here.”

In front of a crowd of 51,612 at Beijing Workers' Stadium, the U.S. was outshot 16-11 but made its best opportunity count. The score was tied 0-0 after 90 minutes, which meant by Olympic rules the two teams would play two 15-minute overtime periods. If the score had still been tied at that point, the game would have been decided on penalty kicks.

It didn't come to that because American Carli Lloyd scored early in the first overtime for the U.S., booting the ball in with her left foot from about 20 yards.

“I knew I had to hit it low and strike it hard, and it found the back of the net,” Lloyd said.

Then the Americans held off one furious Brazilian rush after another for the final 24 minutes of overtime.

“They're just so skillful with the ball,” said Chalupny, the only one of the UNC foursome to play all 120 minutes. “They gave us some troubles, they got in behind us a couple of times, but Hope (Solo, the U.S. goalkeeper) came up big a couple of times. And it was just our day.”

This U.S. Olympic squad is less well-known for its stars than several of the previous versions that have featured players such as former Tar Heels Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly. The squad also lost its best goal-scorer, Abby Wambach, to a broken leg in mid-July. Yet it persevered to