Just nine minutes into the United States women’s soccer team’s Olympic opener Wednesday night, Carli Lloyd headed in an arcing shot that eluded the New Zealand goalkeeper and gave the United States a 1-0 lead.
It was an immediate echo from last year’s World Cup final, in which Lloyd scored in the third, fifth and 16th minutes as part of a four-goal onslaught that helped produce a 5-2 victory over Japan, as well as national acclaim and a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan.