London, England – The United States Wheelchair Rugby Team arrived in London on Sunday for the 2015 BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge. The World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge features eight of the top wheelchair rugby teams in the world and coincides with the Rugby World Cup taking place in the UK. Team USA began competition on Monday with a match-up against one of its fiercest rivals – Canada. The U.S. and Canada met in August at the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto, where Canada defeated the Eagles by one in the final to win gold and secure a spot at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. As usual, Monday’s match was a tight battle with Canada leading 16-14 at the end of the first period. The U.S. won the second period, tying the game 29 all at the half. Canada came out strong in the third period with quick goals from Zax Madell and Trevor Hirschfield to put Canada up by four midway through the third. The Eagles rallied in the fourth, causing turnovers with a full-court defense, but they were unable to overtake the Canadians and lost 57-58. The U.S. had great offensive effort from its veterans Chuck Aoki and Josh Wheeler, but there was also good contribution from newcomers Clayton Brackett and Rob Deller. For a full schedule and updates, visit wwrc15.com and follow @btwwrc15 on Twitter.
USA Wheelchair Rugby on October 13, 2015