One more victory in Ireland, and Eagle River's Alev Kelter and her teammates will win a medal at the Women's Rugby World Cup.
Two more victories and that medal will be gold.
The Americans on Thursday clinched the fourth and final spot in the tournament's semifinals by finishing pool play as the top second-place team.
On Tuesday they will face New Zealand at 8 a.m. ADT in Belfast. The game will air live on NBC Sports.
A win would put the United States in the gold-medal match. A loss would send it to the bronze-medal game.
Kelter, who was a star on the U.S. team that placed fifth in last year's Summer Olympics, scored two conversions Thursday in a 47-26 loss to England.
The Americans finished 2-1 in pool play and scored enough bonus points to edge Canada — which also finished 2-1 — for the final semifinal spot in the 12-team tournament. England, New Zealand and France advanced by going 3-0 in pool play.
The match came three days after Kelter reacted to last weekend's violence in Virginia by saying on Facebook that when she puts on her Team USA uniform, "I play for all of America."
Her post included a screen-shot of Monday's Irish Times, which printed a front-page photo of a car plowing through a group of protesters in Charlottesville.
Even here in Ireland, the far reaching effects of terrorism and racism can be felt. I share the same color skin as the...
Posted by Alev Kelter on Monday, August 14, 2017
"Even here in Ireland, the far reaching effects of terrorism and racism can be felt," she wrote. "I share the same color skin as the people committing these atrocities, but I in no way condone their actions or speech. We should stand up for one another and defend those who are subjected to this hatred. When I play for the United States, I play for all of America – not what is shown here on the cover of this newspaper. I'm saddened and disgusted by these acts. One nation under God, doesn't just stand for white people- it stands for everyone. "
The United States hasn't advanced to the World Cup semifinals since 1998. The Americans won the gold medal at the inaugural tournament in 1991 and won silver medals in 1994 and 1998. They have finished out of the medals in the five tournaments since then.