Lloyd is a Jersey girl on a distant Olympic shore

Carli Lloyd, who on Saturday scored the winning goal as the U.S. women’s Olympic soccer team defeated Japan, 1-0, sent home a “postcard” not long after the American squad had arrived in China.

It was an electronic message, sent as part of the game reports, podcasts, videos and various other bits and pieces that can be found on the USA Soccer website.

Here is some of what Lloyd penned:

Hello from the beach in Qinhuangdao! After spending a few days in Beijing, we have arrived in our game venue and amazingly the hotel is right on the beach. I have to admit I’ve been to China six times now and this is the first time I’ve seen the beach. It makes me feel like I’m back home on the Jersey Shore.

I also have to say that I’m tempted to lay out, but right now staying out of the heat is more important than a good tan. And there are few things more important than a good tan.

This is my first Olympics, and of course everyone tells you how big a deal this is, but honestly you can’t understand the enormity of the event until you’re actually right in the middle of it.”

Having arrived very early in China to help it adjust, the U.S. team had time to visit the Great Wall, climbing which, Lloyd claimed, should “count as a training session” because of the exercise involved. It was “the biggest Stairmaster I’ve ever been on,” she wrote, adding, “what a great experience to see something that amazing and ancient.”

The card was signed: “Carli out from the Shore.”

-- Grahame L. Jones

Photo: Carli Lloyd, left, and Yuki Nagasato of Japan compete for the ball during Women's Group G match in Qinhuangdao, China. Credit: Noriko Hayakusa/Getty Images