Facing a Brazilian team in which 20 of 22 players were listed on the roster with no last name, the Americans had a player truly worthy of going by one name.

Hope.

Hope Solo, the ostracized goalkeeper at last year's Women's World Cup, gave the U.S. hope in Thursday's gold-medal game at Workers' Stadium.

She stopped several good Brazilian scoring opportunities, and the Americans won 1-0 in overtime for their second straight Olympic gold.

The U.S. broke through when midfielder Carli Lloyd banged a left-footed shot into the right corner of the net six minutes into the first of the two overtime periods.

That was all Solo needed, and soon a wild celebration was touched off in which forward Natasha Kai took off her jersey a la Brandi Chastain and players ran around the field while wrapped in American flags.

"It's like a storybook ending, something you see in Hollywood and in these fairy tales, and yet it was really playing out," Solo said. "And my life doesn't always play out that way all the time. There's been a lot of hardships, and so I was just hoping this one time it really would turn out all right."

One hardship was during September's World Cup in China, when Solo was blackballed by the team because of her comments after a 4-0 loss to Brazil in the semifinals. Solo had recorded three straight shutouts. And after then-coach Greg Ryan started veteran Briana Scurry over her, Solo let loose, saying, "I would've made those saves" and intimating Scurry was past her prime.

Eventually, Ryan was fired and Solo was reinstated. Still, it has been a tough past year, with Solo's father having recently died of heart failure and a close friend killed in a car accident.

But on Thursday, Solo vindicated herself on the field. She indeed "made those saves."

"I went through hell, and a lot of people did, and I felt stronger in the end," she said. "And I know it's a cliche, but I'm happy I went through it. I found out a lot about myself and a lot about my family and friends and teammates."

The winning goal was scored by Lloyd, one of the few players on the team last year to show public support for Solo.

"This win wasn't just down to my goal," Lloyd said.

The Americans won it with defense, frustrating Brazilian standout Marta the whole game. When Marta did get three shots on goal, they were repelled by Solo, including a save in the 72nd minute when Marta was wide open in front of the net.

"She's been a rock star," U.S. captain Christie Rampone said of Solo.

Solo was a star on a night when plenty stopped by. Watching were International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, Kobe Bryant and Brazilian soccer legend Pele, who called it "a pity, because Brazil deserved better."

Solo believed the Americans deserved better after winning just bronze at the World Cup. Ryan was replaced by Pia Sundhage, whose team overcame a broken leg suffered by standout Abby Wambach just before the Olympics and won five straight games after a surprising 2-0 loss in the opener to Norway.

"We needed a change," Solo said. "Not only did we lose in that World Cup, but we weren't playing pretty soccer. We weren't playing soccer that we were proud of. It wasn't fun for us."

But Hope had plenty of fun Thursday. She was a one-woman wall, even if the roster listed her as having two names.

U.S. 1, Brazil 0

U.S.0 0 1 0 - 1

Brazil0 0 0 0 - 1

First half - No scoring. Second half - No scoring. Overtime - 1. U.S., Lloyd, 96th.

Yellow cards - Mitts, U.S., 37th; Rosana, Brazil, 106th; Erika, Brazil, 107th; Kai, U.S., 114th. Red cards - None. Referees - Dagmar Damkova, Czech Republic; Christine Beck, Germany; Maria Luisa Villa Gutierrez, Spain; Hege Steinlund, Norway.