BEIJING -- The pass got to her foot, and Carli Lloyd had one thought: Keep it low.

There was no time for the big picture: A chance to win Olympic gold, to take the most improbable of all the big titles in the U.S. women's soccer team's storied history.

"Never in my wildest dreams ..." Lloyd said later, hands in her pockets, gold medal hanging from her neck.

Her left-footed, 19-foot shot stayed low, hopping once, skipping past a diving Brazilian goalkeeper in the 96th minute, six minutes into overtime -- the only goal in a game with precious few American chances against Brazil.

When it was over, Lloyd and goalkeeper Hope Solo stood next to each other on the gold-medal podium chatting -- reminiscing -- marveling at the whole saga.

"I was just floating out there ... Carli and I both came a long way," said Solo, who had taken care of all troublesome crosses and made the save of her life on a 71st-minute shot from Marta, regarded as the world's best player.

This was the next generation for American women's soccer. Icons Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy are long gone, retired after the last Olympics. Foudy was the sideline reporter for NBC. Nobody on the podium last night played for the U.S. when it won its first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. Only central defenders Kate Markgraf and Christie Pearce were on the fabled 1999 World Cup champions.

"The '99 team was once-in-lifetime there," Lloyd said. "But this was kind of another once-in-a-lifetime thing."

The odds were against this group, which had been shellacked by Brazil in the semifinals of the World Cup last year. Then, just before the Olympics, the United States lost its scoring star and forceful leader, Abby Wambach, when her leg was broken in the team's last warm-up game -- against Brazil.

Things got worse once the Olympics began.

"I have to say, after the first game, I didn't know that the gold medal would be possible," Lloyd said.

In the first four minutes of the opener against Norway, the U.S. gave up two goals. Who could have predicted that the Americans would give up only two more the rest of the tournament? Both of those were in a 4-2 semifinal victory against Japan.

Lloyd's role as central midfielder deserves perspective. Before the Olympics, she had talked about first starting to train five years ago in Medford, N.J., with James Galanis, a former professional soccer player from Australia.

"I wasn't fit," Lloyd had said. "He turned me into a machine. It's funny looking back. Five years ago, I could never run long distances. He started out with a 15-minute run. I said, 'This is long.' I got up to a hour and a half."

Solo's play also goes in the sport's history books, and not just for her saves. Solo spoke her mind after being benched for that World Cup game with Brazil last year, saying she would have made the saves that Briana Scurry did not. Because of those remarks, the team, players and coach, banished her. Solo wasn't allowed on the bench for the bronze-medal game and had to fly home on her own. Nobody on the team said much to her the rest of the year.

Except for Lloyd. Lloyd and Solo came up through youth national teams together. Lloyd said she hates drama. She'd eat with Solo, just the two of them. She'd ride with her on the bus. No sorority-girl stuff for her.

"I told her a number of times that she's by far the best goalkeeper in the world," Lloyd said of Solo.

There was more to Solo's story. Her father had died just before that World Cup. She had spread his ashes by her goal before games. Benching her for that Brazil game because Scurry had historical success against that country -- the move backfired, but the changes that came from it led directly to the gold medal.

After the World Cup, coach Greg Ryan was replaced by a Swede, Pia Sundhage.

She lightened the mood and made tactical changes. She also added speed to the back line. That put Heather Mitts in the mix. Last night, Mitts and the other defenders had their hands full dealing with Marta, but she had only one great chance. She pushed the ball between Mitts and Markgraf, then cut around them. She got to the ball first and rifled it toward the net as Solo leaned to her left, trying to cover the biggest opening. But the shot went near-side. Leaning left, Solo had her right arm up and the ball slammed into it.

"I was getting ready to get up and celebrate," Brazil's coach, Jorge Barcellos, said of that save.

Asked about a feeling of vindication, Solo said, "Vindicated? I don't even think about that. Whatever I said last year, I'm just enjoying this moment right now. I feel great. I just won a gold medal!"