HEAD START

Women's Soccer Starts Olympics Early

Two days before Opening Ceremony.

Women’s soccer had its own opening ceremony Wednesday, two days before the official Olympics kickoff is scheduled. U.S. women’s soccer coach Pia Sundhage sang “Have a Little Faith in Me” at a Hampden Park, the one Olympic venue in Scotland, marking the start of the London Games’ competitive portion. Soccer and archery start their games two days before everyone else in order to complete a sufficient amount of competitions without completely exhausting the athletes. And the players are eager to let the Games begin. “You can feel the tension start to rise,” said U.S. goalie Hope Solo. “It’s a good positive energy, and people are going into tackles harder. It’s like unleash the beast. We’re waiting for someone to unleash us.”