In day two of the Mixed Doubles Olympic Qualification Event, Team USA (Vicky Persinger and Chris Plys) faced Finland at 1:00pm (ET) in their only game of the day.

Opening the game with hammer by winning the pre-game last shot draw contest against Finland, the U.S. put a single point on the board, followed by a steal of one in the second end.

In the third end, Finland tied the game with a score of two, before taking the lead for the first time of the game by stealing a single in the fourth end.

Team USA was the first team on the board in the second half of the matchup, scoring two with hammer before forcing Finland to only one in the sixth end to even the score at 4-4.  

With hammer in the uneven end, the United States needed to take control of the game. Persinger/Plys utilized their powerplay, scoring three points in the seventh end to take a 7-4 lead with only one end remaining.

Finland used their powerplay in the eighth end to try to at least send the game into an extra end, but were unable to generate enough points, only scoring a single and earning the United States a 7-5 victory.

“We just played a little bit of safety [in the eighth end] and it worked out,” said Chris Plys.

Today’s win over Finland maintains Team USA’s perfect record, now sitting tied with Korea at 3-0 atop the leaderboard in Pool B. The Team will look to continue building momentum and improving with each game as they enter the second half of the round robin.

“I felt I was throwing the rock better in the second half of that game, so we just need to build on that,” added Plys.

Tomorrow, Team USA will face Latvia at 6:30am (ET), followed by New Zealand at 1:30pm (ET).

Fans can watch live through World Curling’s streaming platform, Recast, or follow live scoring through World Curling’s website.

USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, Toyota, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Brakebush, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), and Sitrin, and is partnered with IHG, Rock Solid Productions Inc., Laurie Artiss Ltd. – The Pin People, and United Airlines.