VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Japan clearly was not ready for Carli Lloyd.

Lloyd scored a hat trick in the opening 16 minutes on Sunday to help give the United States a 5-2 victory over Japan for its record third Women’s World Cup title.

The game Sunday night at Vancouver’s BC Place was a rematch of the World Cup four years ago when Japan prevailed after a penalty shootout for the nation’s first championship in the premier women’s soccer tournament.

Leading up to that victory in Germany, Japan had been deeply scarred by the deadly earthquake and tsunami. The national team gave the country reason to cheer, and the players were welcomed home as heroes.

A win on Sunday would have made Japan just the second team to repeat as World Cup Champions (Germany, 2003 and ’07) in consecutive World Cups.

But it wasn’t to be.

Lloyd, awarded the Golden Ball as player of the tournament, scored twice in a span of about 135 seconds as the U.S. led 2-0 by the fifth minute.

Lauren Holiday boosted the lead in the 14th and two minutes later Lloyd made it 4-0 with an audacious 54-yard, right-footed shot from midfield that sailed over goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori.

Japan closed on Yuki Ogimi’s goal in the 27th and an own goal by Julie Johnston on an errant header in the 52nd. Tobin Heath scored two minutes later, the third goal off a restart for the Americans.

“If you look at the overall performance it was very rare in terms of the probability that we could win today,” coach Norio Sasaki said afterward through a translator.

Lloyd, a 32-year-old midfielder, had come up big against Japan before, scoring the winning goal in the 2012 Olympic final.

“Ms. Lloyd she always does this to us. In London she scored 2 goals and today she scored 3 goals. We are embarrassed,” Sasaki said. “But she is an excellent player but I really respect her and admire her.”

The Japanese arrived in this year’s final with a dramatic – and for the English, heartbreaking – semifinal victory.

After England outplayed Japan for much of the second half, a charging Laura Bassett inadvertently directed the ball at the net and it ricocheted off the crossbar for an own goal in the final minute of stoppage time, giving Japan a 2-1 win.

The victory set up the rematch with the United States. Japan, ranked No. 4 in the world, has met the second-ranked Americans three previous times at the World Cup, with the United States winning two matches before the final in Germany.

Overall, the U.S. team is 25-1-6 against Japan.

Japan’s team was boosted prior to the final by the return of midfielder Kozue Ando, who broke her left ankle in the World Cup opener against Switzerland.

Andro returned to Japan for treatment, but came back to Vancouver to cheer on her team in the final.

Throughout the tournament, a white Teddy bear wearing Ando’s jersey has been a constant feature on Japan’s bench in her honor. It was there on Sunday.

The match was also emotional because it was likely the last appearance with the national team for Homare Sowa, who was the 2011 FIFA player of the year after leading Japan to the victory over the United States in Germany.

Sawa was awarded the Golden Boot as the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals, and the Golden Ball for being the tournament MVP.

Sawa, who once before has retired from the national team, has said that she plans to retire for good following the World Cup.

Four years ago in Germany, Japan was the sentimental favorite after the tragedy the nation had endured in the prior months.

On March 11, 2011, more than 20,000 people were left dead or missing by a massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated much of the country’s northeast coast. The natural disaster touched off the worst nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl in 1986 at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Following each match in Germany leading up to the final, the Japanese players marched across the field with a banner that read, “To our Friends Around the World – Thank You for Your Support,” in gratitude for the global outpouring of support in the wake of the disaster. Sasaki reminded his players of the events to inspire them to victory along the way.

In the 2011 final, Japan battled back from behind twice. Abby Wambach scored in the 104th minute of overtime to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead before Sawa’s goal in the 117th to tie it. Japan prevailed 3-1 on penalty kicks.Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

PREVIOUS REPORT

The US Women’s National Team beats Japan 5-2 to win their first FIFA World Cup title since 1999.

The American team got a major boost from Carli Lloyd who scored three goals in the first 16 minutes of the match.  Her hat trick gave the US a 4-0 lead.  She is the woman to record a hat trick in any World Cup final.

Abby Wambach has come on for the United States in what is expected to be her final Women’s World Cup appearance.

Wambach subbed on in the 79th minute against Japan with the U.S. leading 5-2. Wambach has morphed from being a starter to a late sub off the bench during the tournament, a role that seemed to boost the American attack.

Chants of “We want Abby,” started around the 65-minute mark. The roar grew when she was called over to the bench in the 75th minute.

Wambach isn’t the only star making her World Cup farewell. Japan’s Homare Sawa came on in the first half. Sawa is playing in her record sixth Women’s World Cup.

2nd HALF UPDATE: US 5, Japan 2

USA GOAL! Tobin HEATH with the finish in front of goal to give the US 5-2 lead in the 54′

1ST HALF UPDATE: US 4, Japan 1

HAT TRICK — Carli Lloyd records a hat trick in the 16th minute of the World Cup Final match.  The U.S. Women lead Japan in World Cup Final, up 4-1 / C.Lloyd (3′, 5′, 16′) & L.Holiday (14′).

The rout is on.

Carli Lloyd scored her third goal of the first half catching Japan goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori off her line and scoring from midfield as the United States has taken a 4-0 lead in the first 20 minutes of the Women’s World Cup final.

Lloyd scored the two fastest goals in Women’s World Cup history, scoring twice in the first six minutes of the match. Lauren Holiday scored to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead when she volleyed a shot past Kaihori after a header from Japan defender Azusa Iwashimizu went straight up in the air.

Moments later Lloyd took a speculative shot from midfield and completed her hat trick.

Japan got on the board with a goal from Yuki Ogimi, cutting its deficit to 4-1 and ending the United States’ streak of not allowing a goal at 540 minutes.

Ogimi scored just before the half-hour mark in Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final. She out-positioned Julie Johnston for a cross into the U.S. penalty area and beat American goalkeeper Hope Solo with a left-footed shot.

The U.S. had not allowed a goal since the opening match of the tournament against Australia.

Carli Lloyd rewrote the Women’s World Cup record book with three goals in the first 16 minutes as the United States took a 4-1 lead at halftime of the final against Japan on Sunday.

Lloyd set records for the fastest goal and became the first woman to score a hat trick in the World Cup final. She also was the third American woman to score a hat trick in any World Cup match, joining Michelle Akers and Carin Jennings Gabarra, both of which came during the 1991 tournament.

Lloyd’s hat trick was the fastest in women’s or men’s World Cup history.

Lloyd is also the first American to score goals in four straight World Cup matches.

Lauren Holiday’s goal in the 14th minute gave the Americans a 3-0 lead and Lloyd scored from midfield moments later. She also had chances at a fourth and possibly fifth goal during the first half.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (KRON) – Abby Wambach remembers the date by heart: July 17, 2011. That was the day the United States lost to Japan in the Women’s World Cup title match in Germany.

The Americans get a rematch on Sunday when the teams meet again in the final, this time in Canada. The U.S. women are favored, and there figures to be a mostly pro-American crowd making the short trip across the border to Vancouver’s BC Place.

Wambach and the rest of her teammates say they aren’t taking anything for granted. The United States, ranked No. 2 in the world, is seeking its third World Cup title, but first since 1999.

“We still have to win. We haven’t won anything yet, and we know what that feels like from four years ago,” Wambach said. “It’s not a good feeling.”

The United States is coming off an impressive 2-0 semifinal victory over Germany, the team that had unseated the Americans for the top spot in the world rankings. Criticized at times for a lack of offense, the U.S. has posted five straight shutouts.

“I think we have really good momentum. I think we have confidence as a group. But we need to raise our game as well,” said midfielder Carli Lloyd, who leads the Americans with three goals. “This is the final, everything’s on the line, there’s no holding back. There’s no reserving energy. It’s full throttle.”

Japan, ranked No. 4 in the world, has won each of its six matches during the monthlong tournament, relying on its steady tactical skill. It is trying for its second straight World Cup title.

“It’s the final game, the last one, so there’s no more than that and we should really cherish this moment that we are going to the final,” Japan coach Norio Sasaki said. “But I would also like to have a game that would contribute to the development of football in the world.”

THE LAST TIME: Japan’s victory over the United States four years ago was Asia’s first-ever World Cup title.

The Japanese erased a pair of one-goal deficits. Wambach scored in the 104th minute to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead, and Homare Sawa tied it 13 minutes later. Japan then prevailed 3-1 on penalty kicks.

It was an emotional victory, following the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the nation in March, killing more than 20,000 people and touching off the worst nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl in 1986.

Before boarding the flight home from Germany, Sawa said: “I have to dedicate this win to the people who suffered the disaster.”

LIGHTS-OUT D: Anchored by Hope Solo in goal, the United States’ most consistent asset in the World Cup so far has been its defense.

Solo, who won the Golden Glove award for the 2011 World Cup, has put up five straight shutouts. She has been helped by a solid backline of Meghan Klingenberg, Becky Sauerbrunn, Julie Johnston and Ali Krieger.

The United States has gone 513 minutes without conceding a goal. Only Australia, in the first half of the group-stage opener, has managed to score against the Americans.

HONORING A TEAMMATE: That white teddy bear that has been a constant feature on Japan’s bench throughout the tournament honors midfielder Kozue Ando, who broke her left ankle in the World Cup opener against Switzerland.

While Ando returned home to Japan, she remains close to the players – and not just symbolically with the teddy bear that wears her jersey. She was in her teammates’ thoughts during the semifinal victory over England.

“Miss Ando was talking to the players in the locker room on the phone, and also she sent messages,” Sasaki said. “And also was the fact that she could come to Vancouver to cheer for us. That was the source of our energy. So we were able to do that.”

THE NUMBERS: It will be the U.S. team’s fourth appearance in the final. The Americans won the World Cup the first year of the women’s tournament in 1991, and then again in 1999.

The ’99ers, as they are called, defeated China on penalty kicks in the final at the Rose Bowl.

The United States has a 24-1-6 record against Japan, and a 2-1 advantage in World Cup meetings.

This is the third major women’s soccer tournament where Japan has played the United States in the final. The countries also met in the gold-medal match at the 2012 Olympics, which the Americans won 2-1.