A bruising loss to New Zealand ended the gold-medal hopes of Eagle River's Alev Kelter and her U.S. teammates Tuesday at the Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland. But the Americans still have a shot at the bronze medal.
New Zealand ripped the Americans 45-12 in a physical semifinal match in Belfast.
New Zealand, a four-time World Cup champion, will face England, the reigning World Cup champ, in the gold-medal match Saturday.
At 8 a.m. ADT Saturday, the Americans will play for third place against France, a 20-3 loser to England in Tuesday's other semifinal. The match will air on NBC Sports Gold's Rugby Pass.
Kelter, a 23-year-old scrum half who is one of the top American players, scored seven of her team's points Tuesday.
Her conversion gave the United States a short-lived 7-5 lead early in the match, and her try cut New Zealand's lead to 23-12 early in the second half.
Through four tournament matches, Kelter is the second-leading score for the United States and the 13th leading scorer in the 12-team tournament. She has scored 19 points on one try and seven conversions.
Kris Thomas leads the Americans with 20 points.
In eight World Cup tournaments dating back to the inaugural one in 1991, the United States has won three medals — gold in 1991 and silver in 1994 and 1998.
The gold-medal match between the Kiwis and the Brits will mark the fourth time those nations have met in the championship.