Wheeling, W. Va. – As Wheeling University welcomes friends, family, and alumni to campus for Homecoming & Family weekend, there is a full slate of action on the field. It kicks off on Friday when the Wheeling Men's Rugby team (0-1, 0-0) plays their Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC) opener against Rio Grande at 4 PM. The Cardinals will be honoring their seniors as part of the senior day festivities as they play their only home game during the 15's regular season.

The Cardinals opened their season on the road with a trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan to battle Davenport. It was an offensive game throughout, and early on it was the Cardinal's offense that shined. The team scored 23 unanswered points through the first 30+ minutes of play to take a 23-0 lead. However, Davenport would find their groove right before halftime, scoring 14 straight points as the teams went into the locker room sitting at 23-14. Wheeling got back on track coming out of the half with a try of their own to break the run and extend their lead to 30-14. Davenport would just keep going, this time scoring 19 unanswered points as they took a 33-30 advantage. The two teams would go back and forth over the final two possessions, but a missed conversion kick would end up being the downfall as Wheeling fell 43-42.

Leading the way for the Cardinals once again was Shadreck Mandaza, who led the way with 22 of his team's 42 points on the day. He accounted for one of the team's five tries on the afternoon, while going a perfect 4-4 on conversion kicks. It was his kicking that paced the team throughout the day and got the scoring started. The first ten points of the game all came courtesy of Mandaza, who scored a try, a penalty kick, and a conversion kick all in the first two possessions of the game. He added two more Penalty kicks just before the half which played a big role in the team's halftime lead. Mandaza was the Cardinal's scoring leader on last spring's national championship run in 7's season and looks to be just as strong in 15's season. 

The Cardinal offense showed just how lethal they can be in the team's opener, scoring 42 points off the bat. Of their five tries on the day, all five were scored by different players as the team was able to spread the ball around. Aaron Juma scored one of those tries right before the half and comes in behind Mandaza as the team's second leading scorer last season. Juma is on track to be the Cardinal's third ever MLR player, after being drafted in the second round this fall. He got on the board right after halftime and will be looked to to spark the Cardinals all season. Ayoub Jalli, Lawula Bata, and Marvel Benza would all cross the try line in the match, giving the Cardinals several options to go to throughout the season as the offense leads the way.

Prior to the game on Friday, the Cardinals will honor their eight seniors in their lone home game of the 15's Regular season. EJ Vidal, Runyararo Mukangure, Navin Couch, Clarouly Meca, Tadiwa Kainga, Michael Muleya, Joe Iye, and Rua Karimazondo will all be honored for their service with the team. During their careers, they have seen the Wheeling Men's Rugby program grow, going from a restart following the COVID-19 pandemic to a National Championship contending team by the spring of 2024. It has been one of the fastest growths in National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) as the team continues the legacy of those set before them. The Cardinals look to honor their seniors with a big win to start Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC) play.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Red Storm are meeting for the sixth time in program history on Friday, with Wheeling winning each of the first five matches. It will be just their second meeting in 15's season all time and the Cardinals have averaged 30.4 points per game in the series. However, it will be the first time the Cardinals and Red Storm have met at Bishop Schmitt Field as the Cardinals look for a conference opening win .

Their last 15's season meeting came on October 7rh, 2023 when the Cardinals picked up a 22-13 win. The defense played a big role, picking up a big goal line stand to stop Rio Grande from scoring late. Clarouly Meca, Ayoub Jalli, Alex Nyamunda, and former Cardinal Larry Old all scored tries in the winning effort.

The Details 

Kick-off for Friday afternoon's match is scheduled for 4 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Play-by-Play by clicking HERE.