Canada level at 1-1 after loss to U.S. on opening day of Wheelchair Rugby Canada Cup

Canada lost to the United States in by a narrow 53-51 margin on Thursday, dropping to 1-1 after the first day of the Wheelchair Rugby Canada Cup, taking place at the Richmond Olympic Oval in Richmond, B.C.

The rival teams were tied at 41 points each with just over six minutes remaining before the Americans regained and maintained their lead for the rest of the contest.

Canada's Travis Murao scored his team's 51st point as the buzzer sounded, but it wasn't enough to climb back to a second straight victory on the day.

WATCH | Replay of Canada's loss to the United States:

Canada started its day on a stronger note, beating Australia 58-54 in the first game of the tournament on Thursday afternoon.

The host team's win was the first meeting with Australia since the gold-medal game at the world wheelchair rugby qualifying tournament in New Zealand in March.

Canada's redemption victory marked one of the two opening games of the competition. France also beat the United States 53-46 in the early portion of the competition's opening day.

The Canadians are next scheduled to play France — also 1-1 after a 52-51 loss to Australia on Thursday night — on Friday at 5 p.m. ET, before playing its final two games of the tournament round-robin against Japan and Great Britain on Saturday.

The tournament ends with elimination and championship games on Sunday.

WATCH | Replay of Canada's win over Australia: