New Smyrna Beach native Perry Baker scored four tries in a must-win match Thursday morning, securing Team USA's place in the men's rugby sevens quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics with a 33-17 victory against Uruguay.

Baker, the all-time leading try scorer in American rugby sevens history, iced the victory with a 90-meter sprint across the Stade de France in the waning seconds of the game. The 37-year-old Spruce Creek grad, who became the first athlete to earn consecutive World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year awards, told NBC Sports in March that he planned to retire at the conclusion of the 2024 Olympics.

"I have three boys, one just turned 20 years old, another is 13 and the other is still a baby boy, so I just feel like I need to be more involved in their lives and my wife's life," Baker said at the time.

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With the victory, Team USA finished 1-1-1 in Pool C play. The Americans held host France to a 12-12 draw Wednesday, but suffered a 38-12 defeat to two-time reigning gold medalist Fiji to close their opening day of competition.

Fiji topped the group by taking the maximum nine points, rallying past France for a 19-12 victory in the Pool C finale. The U.S. finished in third place, overtaken by France on point differential.

Quarterfinals begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, and the medal rounds are set for Saturday afternoon.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Paris Olympics: Perry Baker, Team USA advance in rugby sevens tournament