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A packed house of 8,492 fans crammed the Dome inside Olympic Park to watch these two arch rivals fight to the bitter end. The one-point victory preserves an impressive streak by the Americans, who have never lost in international competition, a streak that includes winning the 1996 gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta.

The game seesawed back and forth for the better part of three quarters, as the teams jostled for every advantage and struggled for every goal. The U.S. jumped to an 8-6 first quarter lead before Australia would fight back and outscore Team USA, 10-8, in the second stanza to even the score at 16 just before the half.

In the third quarter, Team Australia, coached by American Terry Vinyard, who coached the U.S. team to gold in 1996, jumped up on the American squad by three goals, bringing the Aussie faithful roaring to their feet and U.S. head coach Reggie Richner searching for answers.

Those answers came in a big way for Richner, as he inserted a bigger lineup of Cliff Chunn (Brentwood, Tenn.), Bryan Kirkland (Moody, Ala.), Eddie Crouch (Nashville, Tenn.), and bruising crowd-favorite Steve Pate (Santa Barbara, Calif.). This substitution would pay huge dividends, as the experienced U.S. squad was able to fight its way back and seize the momentum once again.

“Came in with my big boys and did they job in the fourth quarter,” said Richner. “I figured that was the best lineup we could have on the court with the way they were playing us. I was feeling desperate and beginning to panic, so I inserted them a little sooner than I would have liked, but I had to go for everything I had at that point.”

A Pate goal midway through the final quarter put the American team up for good. Pate was the man down the stretch as he carried the ball across the goal line on five of his team’s final eight possessions.

“We’re just trying our hardest and doing our part. Some things went my way out there tonight and that’s just the way it is,” said an exhausted Pate. “We just seem to find the answer and right combinations each game. I don’t know how we did it, but it was tough. We had a lot of mishaps and a lot of turnovers. It’s the culmination of four years of hard work.

Chunn, who was also on the gold medal winning in Atlanta, paced the U.S. team with 11 goals, while Pate finished with 10 for Team USA. Chunn scored 55 goals during the tournament, while Pate, in his first Paralympics, finished with 38.

Team USA Rugby lives by the creed that the strength of the wolf is the pack, and the strength of the pack is the wolf.

“It was a total team effort,” said Richner. “I have a great coaching staff and great players who believe in what we’re doing. The competition has gotten a lot tougher since we won gold in 1996, so if anyone of those guys strays away from the pack, obviously something can happen to them.”

But with gold hanging from their necks as proof, Team USA is still the leaders of the pack in wheelchair rugby throughout the world.

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