Wheeling, W. Va. – In each of the last three seasons, the Wheeling University Men's Rugby team (5-1) has advanced to the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Quarterfinal round. However, that is where their run has ended in each of the past two seasons as the Cardinals try to make the third time a charm. They will travel out to South Bend, Indiana on Saturday as they battle the University of Notre Dame for the right to advance to the NCR Semifinals, with kick-off at 1 PM.
The Cardinals are coming off an exciting wildcard weekend win that matched them up with their opponent from last season's CRC 7's National Championship, the Kutztown Golden Bears. The Matchup would be as advertised over the first 20 minutes, with the Cardinals starting the scoring. Wheeling needed just four minutes to get on the board for their first try and were staked to a 10-0 lead ten minutes into the match. However, Kutztown would answer in the 20th minute with their first try, making it a three-point game. It would remain just a three-point deficit at halftime, with Wheeling holding a 24-21 advantage. Defense would hold strong in the second half, but Wheeling would outscore Kutztown 10-7 and hold on to win 34-28.
The Cardinals spread the ball around throughout the night with four different Cardinals scoring tries on the day. The team's leader Alex Nyamunda continued his success, scoring his team leading ninth try of the season. He started the scoring in the game, taking a pitch from Aaron Juma and touching the ball down in the middle of the uprights. It was the first game this season that Nyamunda has not scored multiple tries in a game, with the sophomore reaching the mark in four of their five wins this season. Nyamunda burst onto the scene as a freshman, scoring four tries during last season's playoffs, and has continued that success into his sophomore season. He will look to help the Cardinals over the Quarterfinal hump as they continue through the NCR playoffs.
The last two weeks have also seen the rise of Panashe Mugorogodi, who has come through big for his team. When the Cardinals needed a clutch try, Mugorogodi delivered, scoring the game-winning try for the Cardinals in the game's 60th minute. He sprinted towards the outside of the field and made his way across the try line. With Golden Bear defenders giving chase, Mugorogodi touched down the ball near the center of the pipes to set up a big kick that gave Wheeling the insurance they needed to win the game. The Cardinal defense held up over the final 10 minutes of play, keeping the one-score game intact. The other two tries on the day were scored by Shadreck Mandaza and Joe Iye to round out the scoring effort.
The 2024 season marks the third year in a row, that the Cardinals have made the NCR Quarterfinal round, and the second time in three years they will have to go on the road. The Cardinals have fell in this round in each of the last two seasons, dropping a road contest to Brown back in 2022 and falling to St. Bonaventure on their home turf in 2023. If the Cardinals get past this Quarterfinal match, it will be the highest finish in 15's team history and will advance them to the semifinal round, which will be played at a Neutral site. With a 15's National Championship in their sites, the Cardinals veteran group looks to get over the hump and find their way to the NCR National Championship game in Houston, Texas on Saturday, December 14th.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Fighting Irish are meeting for the fourth time in program history, with Notre Dame leading the all-time series at 3-0. The Cardinals have made two prior trips to South Bend, Indiana, falling in both of those matchups. Two of their three meetings have come in 15's play, but the teams will be meeting for the first time since the 2018 season when they meet up on Saturday. Wheeling is taking their first trip to South Bend, Indiana since the 2017 season.
The last time the two teams met up was on October 6th, 2018, in a game that the Fighting Irish won 12-7. Wheeling has averaged 15 points per game in the all-time series, with their highest offensive output being a 41-31 loss in South Bend, Indiana back in 2017. Their lone 7's match was on April 6th, 2013, in a game the Cardinals lost 69-7.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 PM inside Labar Practice Fields on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Follow along on wucardinals.com for coverage throughout the day and a complete recap of the action.
