Wheeling, W. Va. – In their inaugural season, the Wheeling University Women's Rugby team has checked a lot of firsts off their list as a program. On Friday, they have their sites on another first as they compete in the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Quarterfinal Round. They will battle the University of Virginia as they sit three wins away from checking first National Championship off their list.
Last time out, the Cardinals grabbed their first conference championship in program history when they hosted the 2024 Allegheny Rugby Union (ARU) Championships. The Cardinal's high-powered offense didn't take long to get going on the day, needing just four minutes to get on the scoreboard. With two of the top defenses in the game matching up, it wasn't smooth sailing for either side as after 20 minutes the score sat at 12-3. However, Wheeling would get two more scores before the half and led 24-3 at the break. The Cardinal offense continued to roll through the second half, scoring 31 more points to get to the 50 point mark for the fifth time this season. The defense would allow just one try over the final 40 minutes and the Cardinals would seal their 55-10 victory.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was
Alexis Dallas, who scored multiple tries for the third straight game. She finished with three tries on the day and added her first conversion kick of the season to total 17 points on the night. Dallas has been a workhorse for the Cardinals over their last three matches, scoring nine of her team-leading 12 tries during that stretch, and scoring 47 points. Along with her work on offense, Dallas has been a strong player on the defensive side of the ball, leading the team in tackles this season. As they head into this National Championship run, the Cardinal captain looks to continue to be a strong leader for the team and help them on their quest for a National Championship.
The Cardinals also had a multi-try effort courtesy of
Ema Tai, who scored two tries for the second straight game. Tai would score one try in each half for the Cardinals, and brought her total to nine tries for the season. Tai was one of the first Cardinals to score a try in program history, and sits second on the team with 10 tries this season, accounting for 50 points on the scoreboard. Right behind her is
Bella Gullatta, who has nine tries and has been the Cardinals leader in the kicking game. Gullatta has made just under 75% of her kicks this season, and went 4-8 on conversion kicks in the ARU Championship match. Gullatta looks to continue to be a consistent performer for the Cardinals as they chase down a National Championship in their first season as a program.
With the NCR National Tournament kicking off this weekend, the Cardinals are officially three games away from bringing home a National Championship . The Cardinals take on the University of Virginia in their Quarterfinal round, while Michigan and Northeastern will play in the other game from the East. On the other side of the bracket, Northern Iowa takes on Colorado while Southern Nazarene takes on Purdue. All eight teams will have to play two games this weekend, marking the first time this season that the Cardinals have had to play two 15's games in the same weekend. After being ranked #1 in the nation for the fifth week in a row this week, the Cardinals are looking to defend that number 1 ranking on the way to the National Championship match.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Cavaliers are meeting for the first time in program history in this playoff matchup. The University of Virginia is ranked #4 in the NCR Top 20 Coaches Poll, marking the third straight week that the Cardinals will face a top five team in the nation. They are looking to pull their 10
th straight win and keep their perfect season alive as they chase down a National Championship.
The Details
Kick-off for Friday night's game is scheduled for noon at Obetz Field in Columbus, Ohio. You can watch the game live on The Rugby Network.
