Columbus, OH. – The National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Women's 15's National Championships kicked off Friday afternoon from Obetz Fortress in Columbus, Ohio. The Wheeling University Women's Rugby team entered the tournament as the #1 team in the nation in their inaugural season as they battled the anniversary of Virginia. It was a fight that would come down to the final minute, but Wheeling was able to hold on for the 31-27 victory to advance to the NCR Semifinals on Sunday.

The Cardinals would kick the ball off to start the game and the two defenses would battle back and forth for the first 10 minutes. On a chilly day in Columbus, Ohio the ballw as hard to hold onto amd each team had several possessions. Then, in the 10^th minute, Tamzin Boyce went streaking down the sidelines and broke free for the Cardinal's first score of the day. She touched the ball down in the middle of the pipes and Bella Gullatta would put the kick through to give Wheeling a 7-0 lead. It would take 12 more minutes for the Cardinals to respond, and it was Alexis Dallas that got them into scoring position. She got down to the 2 m line before pitching to Ems Tai, who reached across the try line to add points to the board. A missed conversion kick would keep it a 12-0 score As the Cardinal offense was rolling.

After forcing a turnover on defense, it was once again Dallas setting up the Cardinals for another score. She powered the ball down the sidelines getting to midfield before dumping off to Boyce. Voice would turn on the Jets and found the Try Zone for the second time on the day. Gullatta would send the conversion kick through the uprights and wheeling was out to a 19-0 lead. However, With 27 minutes on the clock before halftime The Cavaliers were not about to go down without a fight. They would score three more times before the half was over, going 0-3 on conversion kicks, and made it a four-point game At 19-15. That would be the score as the teams broke for the locker room and head coach Ken Pape and his captains would look to rally the troops.

Their message was one about keeping their heads and continuing to fight no matter how much time was on the clock. The Cardinals took that message to heart and 12 minutes into the half they made a goal line push to extend their lead. Wheeling would be stopped on three different pushes for the try line, but the fourth time was a charm. Wheeling slowly worked the ball to the outside with Gullatta finding Siller On the final pass and she dove across the try line. The conversion kick was no good but the Cardinals were able to extend their lead to 24-15. Wheeling with state to that 9-point lead as the clock reached the 60th minute, but Virginia was able to add another try to get back within four points at 24-20. This was the toughest test of the season for the Cardinals so far and they needed one more push to seal the victory.

That push would come in the 68th minute after Dallas Put a big hit on defense to put the ball on the ground. Wheeling would get possession and handed it to their captain to finish the job. Dallas would get through the middle of the pipes and touch the ball down for her third try of the day. Gullatta sealed the deal with a conversion kick as the Cardinals took a 31-20 lead. The Cavaliers would make one more push getting back on the board in the 87th minute, making it a 31-27 game after the successful conversion kick. The Cardinals would have to come up with one more stop and they did just that kicking the ball out of bounds to end the game. The win advanced the Cardinals to the NCR semifinal round where they will play Northeastern on Sunday.

Leading away for the Cardinals was Alexis Dallas, who finished with three tries on the day totaling 15 points. It was the fourth straight match that the Cardinal captain has scored multiple tries in, and the second time during those four matches that she has scored three or more tries in a game. Tamzin Boyce would be the other Cardinal to store multiple tries in the game with two, both coming in the first half, as she finished with 10 points. Bella Gullatta handled the kicking duties for the Cardinals, and went 3-5 on conversion kicks during the day for a total of six points. Ema Tai and Abbi Siller each added tries to round out the day, scoring the final 10 points for the Cardinals.

The Wheeling University Women's Rugby team returns to action on Sunday, November 17th, when they take on Northeastern at a time to be determined.