Wheeling, W. Va. – On a cold, windy day at Bishop Schmitt Field on Saturday as the Wheeling University Rugby team (4-2-1) battled Davenport University. After a slow start for the offense, Wheeling battled back to score 19 second-half points and ended the game in a 29-29 tie.

It looked as though Wheeling got off to a hot start, finding their way into the endzone in the first five minutes of the game, however, a foul was called, negating the try and keeping the Cardinals off the board. Wheeling would score on a kick conversion and a three-point penalty kick, and Davenport added a three-point kick of their own, and the game sat at 5-3 halfway through the first half. Wheeling added a three-point kick courtesy of Joseph Iye and took the lead, 6-5, minutes later. However, the half would come to a close with Davenport finding their way into the endzone for their first try of the game as they took a 10-6 lead into halftime.

Other than the first push early in the game, Wheeling had trouble moving the ball in the first half. Head Coach Mike Geibel and his team met at halftime to talk things over and make the necessary adjustments. Those adjustments would pay off in the second half as Wheeling's offense began to find success. 17 minutes into the second half Wheeling's Jose Oltra a huge run that got Wheeling within inches of the endzone. They were able to pound the ball in for a try, and the ensuing conversion kick gave them a 17-16 lead. That lead was quickly taken away as the Panthers scored on a three-point conversion kick,  and the score was19-17 with 20 minutes to play.

The two teams traded tries from there and with less than 10 minutes remaining, Davenport had a slight 26-22 lead. The turning point came with four minutes left to play when Wheeling won a big scrum on their offensive side of the field. They works their way towards the near side, and got the ball across the goal line, and took a 27-22 lead. The ensuing conversion kick made it 29-26 and Davenport would have one more chance to tie the game. They got the ball with a minute and a half left and kicked it through the uprights to tie the game at 29. With time expiring, that is where things would stay as Wheeling earned their first tie of the 2021 season.

Wheeling is back in action for their final regular-season game when they head on the road to face Alderson Broaddus on October 24^th at 1 PM.