USA falls to Japan in Penalty Kicks

I admit it, I only watched 30 minutes of soccer during the women's World Cup. It was the 30 minutes of Extra Time that occurred during Sunday's Final and the subsequent Penalty Kicks (and likely the most exciting 30 minutes of the hours upon hours played), but my thought is that if I only watch baseball in September, why would I watch soccer and women's soccer at that, any more than that in soccer? Besides there was yard work to do and even some automotive repairs.
I turned the match on at the 95th minute. That's 5 minutes into overtime - which is not sudden death but 2 mandatory 15 minute periods. The match was tied 1-1 and this was apparently right after Japan scored a late 'equalizer' in regulation to put it in this situation, then it got even more interesting.

The US scored with just over a minute left in the first Extra Time period. They were on the attack the entire time and finally headed one in. Who headed it? Abby Wambach... who I learned is HOT and has a knack for headers - no sexual innuendo intended.

Japan trailed 2-1 into the second ET session and with just over 2 minutes to go, scored another last minute equalizer. 2-2 going into PKs and the pins and needles were apparent. Needless to say, the US hadn't missed a PK shot the entire World Cup but missed their first 2, Wambach scored but the team trailed 3-1 with two shots left - game over Japan won, my heart broken, hot girls crying all over the field and ugly ones celebrating.

Weirdly, I took the loss hard. Sucked into the vortex of meaningful sport, I felt at ease again. When the loss came, I took it as hard as Kentucky losing to Louisville, a storyline very seldom seen these days and quite unexpected, but hard nonetheless. I'm not sure, maybe it was the fact that I was just needing competition in my life or that these women are HOT and I am a sucker for an exception woman. Either way, I had that sick - I just got hit in the stomach after eating a funnel cake - feeling.

Either way, USA's 2012 team may not have stolen the stage like the 1999 fighting Mia Hamms... but this team certainly won my heart in the 30 minutes I devoted to them.