Olympics

Rachel Homan, Canada fall to 0-2 with extra-end loss to Sweden

Team Sweden defeated Rachel Homan's Team Canada 7-6 in an extra end in women's curling round robin Thursday in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Sweden improved to 2-0 while Canada fell to 0-2.

Team Sweden improves its record to 2-0

Canada's skip Rachel Homan shouts instructions to her team on Thursday in Gangneung, South Korea. (Aaron Favila/Associated Press)

The Canadian Press

Ottawa's Rachel Homan opened her first Olympic curling tournament with a pair of tough round-robin losses.

Homan's team fell 8-6 to EunJung Kim of South Korea and 7-6 in an extra end to Sweden's Anna Hasselborg on Thursday in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 

VIDEO | Canada still winless in women's curling after loss to Sweden 

[VIDEO src="51904"]

Down 5-4 in the ninth end against the Koreans, Homan attempted an aggressive shot rather than drawing for one. The move backfired with Kim stealing a big three points for an 8-4 lead.

Kim scored a deuce in the fifth end to go up 4-1 but Homan replied with two of her own in the sixth and a steal of one in the seventh to tie the game.

Homan fell to 0-2 when the Swedes, with the hammer, drew to the button with their final stone for a point in the extra end.

"It was really close, (the) team stuck with it right through to the end, but Sweden played a phenomenal game and outplayed us," Homan said.

"It's been a tough day but we just need to keep playing the same because we're playing really well. It was just a couple of shots here and there. We have a responsibility to come back and bring our 'A' game. I feel like we did that tonight, there's just a couple of shots that we'd like back which made all the difference."

Canada is the defending Olympic champion. Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg skipped the Canadian team to a gold medal against Sweden at the 2014 Games in Sochi.

The 28-year-old Homan is a three-time national champion and the reigning world champion.