Wheeling, W. Va. – Over the last several seasons, the Wheeling University Rugby team (1-1, 0-0) has been playing as an independent team during their 15's season. In 2022, they became one of six Division I National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) teams to join the newly formed Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC). On Saturday, the Cardinals will get their first taste of BRRC play when they host Aquinas College at Bishop Schmitt Field at 1 PM.
It will be the first time in two weeks that the Cardinals have taken the field, after picking up a win via forfeit last week over Mary Washington University. In the team's opener, they traveled down to Charlotte, North Carolina where they battled Division I powerhouse Queens University of Charlotte. While there were some mistakes in the first half, the Cardinals came back strong in the second half, scoring all 19 of their points. They outscored the Royals 19-12 in that second half of play, but it wasn't enough as they fell 22-19 to drop their opener. Head Coach Mike Geibel acknowledged that the team made mistakes during that opener but was pleased with the way that his guys were able to rally back and get on the board in the second half.
Leading the way for the Cardinals on the day was a trio of players who each got in their first tries of the season. It began with Krishna Kwenda's first career collegiate try that got the Cardinals offense going. After allowing a try for the Royals at the start of the second half, it was imperative that the Cardinals cross the try line on their next possession. They quickly drove down the pitch and found an opening that Kwenda took. It sparked his teammates as Mohamed Haddar and Rua Karimazondo each punched in their first tries of the season as part of Wheeling's 19-point second half attack. Ayoub Jalli attempted the three conversion kicks on the day and picked up right where he left off going 2-3 in kicks to bring Wheeling to their 19-point total.
After a rough first half, the Cardinals defense stepped up in a big way in the second half as they held the Royals to just 12 second half points. Clarouly Meca, Josh Blankenship, and EJ Vidal played an important role in stopping their opponents runs and getting the ball back to their offense's hands. With a full Division I schedule on their hands this season; the Cardinals will be going up against some of the top programs in collegiate rugby. The defense is going to be relied on to shut down some of these high-powered offenses as Wheeling tries to make it back to the national stage in 2022.
The Cardinals now get set to dive headfirst into BRRC play as they get set to take on conference opponents in each of their next three games. After taking on Aquinas College, the Cardinals will hit the road for two tough tasks against Thomas Moore and Marian College. With the Cardinals looking to claim one of the top two spots in the conference, these next few weeks will allow them to see where they stand against some of the best programs the conference and Division I NCR Rugby has to offer.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's BRRC opener is scheduled for 1 PM on Saturday at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE.
