CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Wheeling Jesuit rugby team suffered a slow start against the Clemson Tigers on Saturday, falling behind 28-0 in the first half, before dropping the game 42-14.
 
It was the second loss of the spring season for WJU, who now fall to 0-2, and 2-8 overall in 2013-14.
 
On a damp and cool night in Charlotte with a slippery ball and a soft field underfoot, it was a game that was always going to be won or lost in the forward pack for both teams.
 
Clemson, who is set to compete in the Varsity Cup post-season tournament this year, outweighed the Cardinal's forwards by an estimated average of 40 lbs. per man. They used that weight well in the first half, scoring the first four tries of the game by setting up multiple phases of pick-and-jams, or mauling over the line off a lineout.
 
"Clemson is a very well coached team, and they have some big kids," said WJU head Coach Eric Jerpe. "We, on the other hand, are seeing some good things from our guys, but we're not sticking to our game plan, and that is hurting us."
 
The Cardinals got on the board in the 2^nd half when freshman lock Hugh McAllister (Philadelphia, Penn.) picked up a loose ball on the deck and stretched his 6'4" frame over the line for a try.
 
With two minutes left to play, sophomore Julian Santana (Bogota, Columbia) got the Cardinals on the board again when WJU was awarded a penalty five-meters off the Clemson goal line. The quick-thinking Santana then quick-tapped the ball and forced his way through two would-be Clemson tacklers to bring the score to 35-14 after Luke Titus converted the kick.
 
Clemson added one more try to finish the scoring, bringing up a final score of 42-14.
 
The Cardinals head to Morgantown next week to take on the WVU Mountaineers in a rematch of Wheeling Jesuit's first game ever as a varsity program in the fall of 2012, a game the Cardinals won 10-6.