Wheeling, W. Va. - Last week, the Wheeling University Rugby team (1-0) brought the offensive firepower when they beat Franciscan University 81-5. Heading into week two, they look to keep the momentum going as they prepare to face Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) on Saturday at 1 PM.
All 23 players got a chance to get in on the action as Wheeling was playing their first 15s Rugby since 2019. The team scored 13 tries on the day by 10 different players and Head Coach Mike Geibel liked that they were able to get so many guys not only in the game, but in on the action.
"I was pleased with the performance, and was very happy that we got all 23 men on the roster a chance to shake off the cobwebs a bit, " said Geibel. "We executed a lot of things very well, and we also found some things that we need to clean up and work on moving forward."
Leading the scoring for Wheeling was sophomore Mohammed Haddar (Marrakech, Morroco/Les Printeps). Haddar scored a team-high four tries in the game, pacing the offensive effort for Wheeling. Nine other Cardinals were able to convert tries in the game as they scored the most points they have in a game since the 2017-2018 season when they scored 112 against Franciscan. When they needed a two-point conversion kick, they turned to sophomore Ayoub Jalli (Casablanca, Morroco/Yassmine Oasis), who went 8-11 on those 2pt conversion kicks during the day.
Overall, it was a strong showing for the Wheeling Rugby team and continued their momentum from a 17-2 season last year. As they head into the game against IUP, Geibel is looking for continued growth and is excited to get back out on the field.
"We are carrying some good momentum into the IUP matchup, and look to keep building and getting better each week," said Geibel. "IUP has some strong players who like to hit, so it could be a very physical match for us. Getting the first one out of the way last week was a big mental win for the guys but they're not sitting back on that first match."
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Crimson Hawks have faced off one time in the team's history back in the 2017-2018 season. The matchup came on March 10th, 2018, and was a game that Wheeling would go on to win 48-12. It was part of a 4-5 season for the Cardinals and led to them winning their final two games to end the year.
The Details
Wheeling's Rugby match against IUP is scheduled for 1 PM at South Campus Field. Be sure to stay tuned with WUCardinals.com for updates and final score information.
