It took just over fifteen minutes for the U.S. Women's National Team to rack up a 4-0 lead over Japan in the FIFA's Women's World Cup final on Sunday, and three of those came courtesy of Carli Lloyd.
While Japan finally answered with a their own goal to bring the score 4-1 in the 27th minute, Lloyd in early and record-time established a fierce U.S. start.
Extending her dominance on the field, Lloyd netted the first two goals for Team USA, giving them a strong start to what could be their first World Cup championship since 1999.
First came this beauty in the third minute:
Followed by this goal in the sixth:
Lloyd's teammate, Lauren Holiday, connected for a goal herself in the 14th minute:
But Lloyd was soon back again, taking a long shot and setting Japan's goalkeeper back on her heels, solidifying her hat trick with this shot that would put any NBA half-court shot to shame:
Japan previously had only given up three goals the entire tournament, with one coming from a penalty kick. Per U.S. Soccer, Lloyd's first third-minute goal is the quickest ever scored in a Women's World Cup final. Lloyd is also the third USWNT player to score a World Cup hat trick -- both Carin Jennings Gabarra and Michelle Akers each had their own in the 1991 semifinals and quarterfinals, respectively. However, she is the only player to nab a hat trick in a Women's World Cup Final
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