U.S. Women's Curling Team Beats Canada for First Time at Olympics

The American squad, which includes several working moms, pulls off a surprise victory over the powerhouse Canadian team.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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The U.S. women's curling team made history on Friday at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, by defeating the Canadian team skipped by Rachel Homan for the first time ever at the Olympic Games. The American squad, which includes several working mothers, managed to capitalize on some weak shots by the Canadian team to pull off the 9-8 nailbiter victory.

Why it matters

The U.S. women's curling team has never beaten the Canadian team, which has long been considered the best in the world, at the Olympic Games. This milestone victory for the American squad highlights their ability to compete with and defeat the top-ranked curling program on the sport's biggest stage.

The details

In Friday's match, the U.S. team was able to take advantage of some uncharacteristic mistakes by the Canadian team led by skip Rachel Homan. The American squad, which includes skip Tabitha Peterson, her sister Tara Peterson, Cory Thiesse, and Aileen Geving, all of whom have jobs and young children outside of curling, managed to pull off the upset victory.

  • The U.S. women's curling team defeated Canada 9-8 on Friday, February 13, 2026 at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
  • Women's curling has been part of the Olympic program since 1998.

The players

Tabitha Peterson

The skip of the U.S. women's curling team, who is also a pharmacist.

Tara Peterson

A member of the U.S. women's curling team, who is also a dentist and the younger sister of Tabitha Peterson.

Cory Thiesse

A member of the U.S. women's curling team, who is also a lab technician and has already won a silver medal in the mixed doubles event.

Aileen Geving

An alternate on the U.S. women's curling team, who is from Minnesota.

Rachel Homan

The skip of the Canadian women's curling team, which has long been considered the best in the world.

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What they’re saying

“If that's true, I think we just played a really good game. They're No. 1 in the world.”

— Taylor Anderson-Heide (The Associated Press)

“It just always feels really good to beat (Canada skip) Rachel Homan. So any team to beat them, that's pretty impressive.”

— Tara Peterson (The Associated Press)

“Apparently, we've never beat them in the Olympics before. That makes it just extra special.”

— Tara Peterson (The Associated Press)

What’s next

The U.S. women's curling team has several matches left in the round-robin before the semifinals next Friday. They are currently 2-1 after Friday's historic win against Canada.

The takeaway

The victory by the U.S. women's curling team over the powerhouse Canadian squad highlights the team's ability to compete with and defeat the best in the world, even as several members of the American team balance curling with full-time jobs and young families.