London, England – Day two of competition at the 2015 BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge featured two matches for the United States against New Zealand and South Africa. Team USA got off to a strong start against New Zealand leading 12-6 in the first five minutes. Strong play from New Zealand’s Cameron Leslie cut the margin to 15-11 to end the first period. Exceptional teamwork from the Americans and a hard defensive hit from Eric Newby extended the lead to five at the half (26-21). New Zealand came out aggressively to begin the third and closed the gap 29-26. Quickly, the Eagles responded with goals from Chuck Aoki and entered the final period with a seven-point lead (39-32). Wheel Blacks star Leslie fought back hard in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the Eagles. The U.S. cruised to a 54-45 victory.
Team USA faced a less experienced but aggressive South African team in the evening. The Eagles led from the tip and finished the first period 21-5. With evenly distributed scoring and solid defense, the Americans extended their lead through the second to end the half 35-12. Hard hits from Ernie Chun and scores from Seth McBride gave the U.S. a 33-point lead entering the final period. South Africa fought back with scores from Koos Jacobs, but the Eagles sustained the lead with a 62-23 victory. Team USA have tomorrow off but will begin crossover play on Thursday. Visit wwrc15.com for full tournament results and follow @btwwrc15 on Twitter for continuous updates.