Army Capt. Sammy Sullivan (4), who sealed the deal with the final score, and the United States team celebrate after winning their rugby sevens quarterfinal match against Great Britain at the Olympics in Saint-Denis, France, on July 29, 2024. (Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP)

SAINT-DENIS, France — The saying goes, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

The United States women’s rugby sevens team recalled the past quite well heading into its Olympic quarterfinal matchup with Great Britain on Monday evening at Stade de France. Three years earlier in Tokyo, Britain squeaked past the Eagles with a five-point victory at the same stage.

U.S. Army Capt. Sammy Sullivan wasn’t on the team in Tokyo, but she heard the stories from her veteran teammates after the U.S. placed second in its group and drew Britain in the quarterfinals.

“People say history repeats itself, but that kind of thinking takes all the agency out of it,” Sullivan said. “Going into this game, we talked a lot about taking control and doing the things we know how to do.”

On Monday evening, the outcome was completely different.

The U.S. bounced back from an early deficit and scored 17 unanswered points to win 17-7.

For the first five minutes, however, history did seem like it was going to repeat itself. Forward Ellie Boatman scored a try after a U.S. foul gave Britain the ball deep inside American territory, and a conversion by Lisa Thomson made it 7-0.

“We didn’t know which GB team we were going to face,” Sullivan said. “We knew they were going to be super strong, and they were going to want it, and they were going to come out with fire knowing they had been in the same position before.”

Two American scores on either side of halftime turned the tide.

Ilona Maher celebrates after the United States defeated Great Britain in a women’s rugby sevens quarterfinal match at the Olympics in in Saint-Denis, France, on July 29, 2024. (Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP)

First, Ilona Maher took the ball from midfield to the left side and pitched it to Naya Tapper. The Eagles captain scampered along the sideline to cut the deficit to two in the sixth minute.

Then, at the start of the second half, the U.S. got the ball off their own kick. Forward Kristi Kirshe corralled the bouncing ball, broke a couple of tackles and went into the try zone after 12 seconds.

A Kayla Canett conversion made it 12-7 U.S.

Sullivan herself sealed the win with her last touch of the match. As Kirshe was going to ground, she pitched the ball on the right wing to the U.S. Military Academy graduate, who got away from one British defender to give the U.S. a two-possession lead in the 10th minute.

“I think God was behind me on that one,” Sullivan said of the try. “Kirshe always doing the hard work for me so I can score an easy try on the edge.”

The matchup with Britain came about following a 31-14 loss to France in the final pool-play match Monday afternoon.

The Americans took a 7-0 lead thanks to a Maher try in the third minute in which she broke a tackle and went the rest of the way through the center of the field. Canett added the conversion for the extra two points.

A yellow card to Canett in the fifth minute put the Americans down a player for two minutes, and the French took advantage with a Seraphine Okemba try in the seventh minute. Okemba then made the U.S. pay for a turnover inside its own half off a scrum in stoppage time to make it 10-7.

Those tries sparked a 24-0 France run that sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

“We knew coming into his tournament playing France at home in France was going to be probably one of our toughest games,” Kirshe said. “It did prove to be one of our toughest games.”

The biggest issue for the U.S. wasn’t the hostile home crowd. It was Okemba.

The 5-foot-10, two-time Olympian powered by and sprinted past the Eagles for four tries.

“She was a beast today,” American Ariana Ramsey said of Okemba. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get to play her 1-v-1, but she did get me on the edge. So, she’s a great player.”

With the quarterfinal win later, the France loss is forgotten.

The U.S. advances to its first semifinal. Rugby sevens only has been an Olympic sport since the 2016 Rio Games.

Twice the U.S. had faltered in the quarterfinals before Monday’s victory. But now, the Eagles will get to contest for either a gold, silver or bronze medal Tuesday.

To decide if they will compete for gold or will fight for the podium, first the Eagles face New Zealand in the semifinal slated for 3:30 p.m. Central European Time (9:30 a.m. Eastern Time). The Black Ferns Sevens defeated China 55-5 in the first quarterfinal Monday. The second semifinal matches Canada versus Australia.

No matter what happens Tuesday, the Eagles are excited to be at this stage.

“Our team’s never been in this position before,” Sullivan said. “It’s a dream come true.”