Wheeling, W. Va. – It has been a perfect regular season for the Wheeling University Women's Rugby team (8-0) and they look to keep that magic alive as they begin their playoff run. The road to Nationals runs through Bishop Schmitt Field, and it begins with the 2024 Allegheny Rugby Union (ARU) Championships. The Cardinals will take on #5 St. Bonaventure in the program's first-ever championship game as they look to bring home the hardware.

Last time out, Wheeling would pick up their fifth shutout victory of the season, and their first against a nationally ranked opponent. Both offenses took a while to get going and after 20 minutes of play the game sat scoreless. Their were only five points scored over the first 40 minutes of play, with Wheeling being able to find the try zone just before half. The Cardinals had a 5-0 lead at halftime and that was more than enough thanks to another strong defensive effort. The Cardinals hard hitting continues in the game, with Head Coach Ken Pape noting how many times Walsh was on the ground. The Cardinal offense responded with 28 unanswered points over the final 40 minutes. Three different players combined to score the five tries on the night as the Cardinals would go on to win 33-0.

The Cardinals had a pair of multi-try scorers, with Alexis Dallas and Ema Tai both finishing with two tries. For Dallas, it was the continuation of an already strong season, as she brings her season total to nine tries and 45 points. Dallas would have both of her scoring efforts come in the second half, leading the charge with 10 of the 28 second half points. Over the past two games, Dallas has stepped up her offensive game, scoring six tries between the two contests and scoring 30 points. While she has been a force on offense as of late, Dallas continues to be a leader on defense as well. She leads the team in tackles this season and has been one of the hardest hitters in the team. As they head into the postseason, she looks to continue to be a leader for the Cardinals down the stretch.

The other multi-try scorer in the game was Ema Tai, who finished with two tries and totaled 10 points on the day. Another one of the Cardinal captains, Tai is the team's second leading scorer, finishing with seven tries and 35 points during the regular season. She would be the one to get the scoring started against Walsh, and added her second try of the day in the second half. It was the second multi-try efforts of the season for Tai as she continues to lead the Cardinals. The Wheeling points leader this season has been kicker Bella Gullatta, who finished the regular season with 102 points. She has gone 36-48 on conversion kicks this season, helping the Cardinals tack on crucial points. Gullatta has also scored six tries this season, equaling 30 points, to bring her season total over the century mark.

As they enter Saturday's playoff matchup, the Cardinals will be playing in their first ever playoff game as a program. They finished the regular season a perfect 8-0, and are averaging 59.25 points per game and are allowing opponents to score just 3.5 points per game. The team has not allowed an opponent to score on them since playing Penn State back on September 21^st in a 39-14 win. Their success has been reflected in the weekly National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Top 20 Coaches Poll, where they have held on to the top spot for each of the last four weeks. Saturday will mark their second straight meeting with a Nationally Ranked opponent, taking on #5 St. Bonaventure, and the Cardinals are looking to once again live up to the challenge.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Bonnies will be meeting for the first time in program history on Saturday in the ARU Championship match. Like the Cardinals, St. Bonaventure also enters Saturday's match undefeated, sitting at 6-0, and bring a high powered offense of their own. The Bonnies are averaging 76.33 points per game through six matches this season and have picked up shutouts in four of their six matches this season.

The Details

Kick-off for Saturday's ARU Championship match is scheduled for noon at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Scoring by clicking HERE.