Morgantown, WV. – The Wheeling University Rugby team entered their fourth 7's tournament of the year on Saturday when they competed in the WVU "Chicken 7's." They had won two previous seven's tournaments, but none in the same way that they did on Saturday. Their defense stood strong as they did not allow a point to the opposition all day going 4-0 in their games. They dealt with rain and inclement weather conditions throughout the day, but persevered for the tournament win.

Game One: Wheeling 43, Franciscan 0

Game one of the day saw Wheeling matchup with a team they are all too familiar with in Franciscan University. While the two have not played each other yet this 7's season, they met up during 15's season and the Cardinals secured an 81-0 victory in that meeting. It was more of the same this time around as Wheeling once again was able to Shutout the Barons, earning a 43-0 victory. The shorter halves allowed less time for the offense to work, but it didn't slow down their firepower. In total, the Cardinals scored seven tries and completed four conversion kicks to score the win and kick off the tournament.

It was a big day for Jose Oltra, who accounted for nearly half his team's offense with three tries on the day. It was the most tries for Oltra in a single match as he got Wheeling out to the lead. Oltra also helped out on the defensive side of the ball as Wheeling was able to get it's first Shutout of the day as they headed into the second game of the day. Ayoub Jalli added two tries and Alec Thomas and Rati Ramishvilli added one try each. Jalli was kicking the ball well throughout the day, and began things with a 4-7 on conversion kicks.

Game Two: Wheeling 47, WVU Group B 0

The strong Wheeling offense just kept rolling in game two as they once again got out to an early lead with a fast offensive attack. As a team, they converted on seven tries during the day and made six of the seven conversion kicks. It was another early offensive showing for the Cardinals and they rode that momentum for the rest of the day. Ayoub Jalli continued his strong kicking game, adding six more conversion kicks to go along with one try on the day. It brought his total to three tries so far and gave him 25 points through the first two games of the day.

Other tries in game two came courtesy of Ramishvilli, who led the way with two tries and now had three on the day, Stanley Giani, Jacob Deglow, Navin Couch and EJ Vidal. Giani also got in on the conversion kick game, making his lone conversion kick on the day. With two wins under their belt, Wheeling headed into the third game of the day looking to punch their ticket to the championship game. Frostburg State stood in their way of the Cardinals and the championship game.

Game Three: Wheeling 50, Frostburg State 0

The third game of the day was Wheeling's most productive from the offensive side of the ball as the team scored nine tries on the day and made six conversion kicks. The defense, anchored by Michael Muleya  continued to put in work throughout the afternoon, not allowing a point for the third straight day. The Cardinals were able to help their efforts by taking advantage of their opportunities as two different guys had multi try games. Rati Ramishvilli upped his tournament total to five to lead the way for Wheeling while Chief Chipfumbu added his first try of the day.

The Cardinals also had Jose Oltra (4), Stanley Giani (2), EJ Vidal (2), and Alec Thomas (2) each score their second tries of the day. Anthony Krzesinski added the final try of the day, his first of the tournament as Wheeling kept the high powered offense going. Giani continued his accuracy on the conversion kicks, making two in the game and bringing his total to three straight kicks. Chipfumbu rounded out the day going 4-7 in conversion kicks to end the day. With their third win of the day, Wheeling earned a date with Slippery Rock in the finale as they looked for their third tournament win.

Game Four: Wheeling 49, Slippery Rock 0

The offense just kept rolling in the finale, and the defense continued to hold their end of the deal as the Cardinals rolled to a 49-0 win. The offense was a quick strike attack again with Stanley Giani driving the team with three tries to bring his tournament total to five for the tournament. Rati Ramishvilli was also a multi-try scorer for the Cardinals scoring two tries in the game. Ayoub Jalli was perfect on his conversion kicks, making all seven of them to add those extra points in the game.  Jalli also added a try and Chipfumbu rounded out the day with his final try to complete the offense.

The Cardinals secured their fourth Shutout of the day and their third tournament championship of the 7's season. It also marked the first time in program history that the Cardinals won a seven's tournament while recording a Shutout in all four games. It was this defensive effort that head Coach Mike Geibel was most proud of for his team on the day.

"On paper this looks like a big offensive day but was I'm even more happy about from a coaching perspective is the defensive effort," said Geibel. "It is a huge feat to have a Shutout throughout an entire seven's tournament. One bounce of the ball can change the play and lead to a try, so to keep that through four matches is great."

The Wheeling University Rugby team is back in action on Friday, April 15th, when they head to the Tropical 7's.