The United States pulled off a stunning reversal of form to dump the undefeated Slovenia out of the Men's Goalball tournament at the Beijing Institute of Technology Gymnasium on Friday.
The US team relegated error-prone Donte Mickens to the bench and brought Edward Munro into the starting lineup.
The result was a more settled and disciplined team that led 2-0, after goals from Tyler Merren and Munro.
Ivan Vinkler pulled one goal back just before half time, and when Dejan Pirc equalized just after halftime, it looked ominous for the United States.
However, Merren scored almost immediately to give his team a 3-2 lead, and when Munro scored his second from a rare penalty, the US team had a two goal buffer.
Slovenia made several substitutions in the dying minutes, bringing on Matej Ledinek in the hope of closing the gap, but the United States hung on to record a memorable victory and make the semifinals.
(BOCOG September 12, 2008)