The U.S. Women’s National Team’s first domestic match of 2008 was nearly washed out by a pregame thunderstorm that dumped several inches of rain on the WakeMed Soccer Park field and delayed kickoff nearly an hour.

After the weather system passed and play got underway, the match was nearly a washout after the U.S. squandered a two-goal lead in the final four minutes, only to be rescued by Carli Lloyd’s stoppage-time winner that gave the U.S. a 3-2 victory over Australia on Sunday night.

“You’re 2-0 up, then 2-1 and 2-2 and you could see the body language, still we wanted to win,” said U.S. coach Pia Sundhage, whose team is now 11-0-1 since she became coach late last year. “And the fact when we got the free kick, you could feel it. That is so important because that feeling is contagious. The goal was just huge. Even though it’s a friendly game, that goal is huge, not only for Carli but the whole team, including myself. You can win.”

Moments after the officials signaled two minutes of stoppage time, U.S. midfielder Angela Hucles drew a foul about 40 yards from goal. Defender Cat Whitehill took the free kick and served it to the back post. Australia goalkeeper Lydia Williams came off her line and punched it, but the ball went straight up. Lloyd, waiting just inside the six-yard box, timed her jump perfectly and headed it into the open net.

“As I recall, Cat served a great ball in. Someone headed it up. I just made sure that I got in the box and followed through and headed it straight in the goal,” Lloyd said. “It happened fast. I just happened to be there, right moment right time, and headed it away.”

Lloyd’s game-saver for the U.S. brought to a close a frantic final five minutes, when three goals were scored between the two teams.

In the 86th minute, Australia’s Kate Gill headed in a ball from an impossible angle that was served in by Heather Garriock to make it 2-1.

Two minutes later, U.S. defender Lori Chalupny was whistled for a handball in the box. She went down to make a tackle near the endline and the ball grazed her arm. Australia captain Cheryl Salisbury stepped to the spot for the penalty. U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo stopped the initial shot, but Salisbury headed in the rebound to draw the match even.

“Fatigue might have been setting in,” said Lloyd, who was a terror in the center of the park all night with excellent service and four shots on goal. “But this team’s about winning, and we find a way to get it done.”

The win was the Americans’ 11th in 12 outings in 2008 and their first on American soil this year.

When the Swedish Sundhage was hired as the sixth coach in Women’s National Team history and first foreigner, she brought with her an impeccable resume and a brand of soccer that promised to be entertaining and stylish that was based on possession and sustained attack.

That was on display for the 3,698 fans who waited out the hour-long thunderstorm delay and remained in their seats when the skies opened back up early in the second half. The U.S. peppered the Australia goal with 22 shots, 13 on goal. Many of them came from distance, but they were enough to keep Williams (10 saves) on her toes.

While they relied on shots from outside the box, the Americans finally broke through when they got in close.

In the 35th minute, Lloyd played a ball to Natasha Kai, overlapping fellow forward Abby Wambach on a diagonal run from the right. As the ball danced across the turf, Wambach dummied, giving Kai enough space to receive the pass, take a touch and then kiss the ball off the near post for her seventh goal of 2008 and 15th career international strike.

“Our job as forwards is to score,” said Kai, who has helped the U.S. outscore its opponents 37-6 this year. “I think the forwards are getting a lot of opportunities and we’re in the perfect spot to get a goal or two in. As a whole, we’re connecting together and we’re getting better as the days go by.”

The Americans got on the board again early in the second half. On a 49th-minute counterattack, second-half sub Amy Rodriguez carried the ball down the left flank. As she entered the box, she sent a cross to the back post where Abby Wambach headed in her 93rd international goal in her 117th international appearance.

While the U.S. was in control for much of the evening and nearly had to settle for a draw, it turned out to be the type of match they’re looking for on this three-game, pre-Olympic tour. They’ll play Australia again on May 3 in Birmingham, Ala., and Canada on May 10 in Washington before the Olympic tournament in Beijing in August.

“It took them two minutes to score two goals,” Kai said. “That’s what you’re going to get with a good team. That’s what’s going to happen in the Olympics — any given time, this is what’s going to happen. We’re going to have to prepare and fight to the end. Carli came up big for us in the last minute and she did that in the [Olympic] qualifiers, too. We just need to fight to the end, and when that final whistle blows we need to know we gave 110 percent out there. And we did.”