US Women's Curling Team Beats Canada for First Time at Olympics

American curlers surprised to learn of historic victory over powerhouse Canadian squad.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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The U.S. women's curling team defeated the Canadian team, led by skip Rachel Homan, in a nail-biting 9-8 match at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. This marked the first time the American women have beaten the Canadian team at the Olympics since women's curling was introduced in 1998. The American team, which includes players from Minnesota like Taylor Anderson-Heide, Tara Peterson, and her sister Tabitha Peterson, were surprised to learn from reporters that they had achieved this historic feat, as they were simply focused on playing a good game against the world's top-ranked team.

Why it matters

The victory over the powerhouse Canadian curling team is a significant milestone for the U.S. women's curling program, which has long struggled to compete with their northern neighbors on the Olympic stage. This win not only boosts the confidence of the American team, but also demonstrates the growing strength and competitiveness of U.S. women's curling on the global stage.

The details

In Friday's close match, the U.S. team was able to capitalize on some uncharacteristic mistakes by the Canadian squad led by skip Rachel Homan, who is widely considered the best women's curler in the world. The American women, including Tara Peterson, Tabitha Peterson, Taylor Anderson-Heide, Cory Thiesse, and alternate Aileen Geving, worked together to clinch the 9-8 victory, celebrating by raising their fists in triumph as they walked off the ice.

  • The U.S. women's curling team defeated Canada on Friday, February 13, 2026.
  • Women's curling has been an Olympic sport since 1998.

The players

Taylor Anderson-Heide

A member of the U.S. women's curling team who is from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Tara Peterson

A member of the U.S. women's curling team who is from Shoreview, Minnesota and works as a dentist.

Tabitha Peterson

The skip of the U.S. women's curling team, who is Tara Peterson's older sister and works as a pharmacist.

Cory Thiesse

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

Rachel Homan

The skip of the Canadian women's curling team, who is widely considered the best women's curler 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 (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 (Associated Press)

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

— Tara Peterson (Associated Press)

What’s next

The U.S. women's curling team has several matches left in the round-robin before the semifinals on Friday.

The takeaway

This historic victory over the world's top-ranked Canadian curling team demonstrates the growing strength and competitiveness of the U.S. women's curling program on the global stage, and provides a major confidence boost as they continue their pursuit of an Olympic medal.