Wheeling, W. Va. – After clinching a spot in the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) DI Playoffs for the second season in a row, the Wheeling University Women's Rugby team (7-0) makes their final preparations for their National title defense. The team plays their first back-to-back weekend of the season, hitting the road on Saturday before returning home Sunday to complete the weekend. They kick things off on Saturday when they head to St. Bonaventure for a morning battle at 10 AM, and they wrap up the weekend with a Sunday evening match-up against the University of Cincinnati at 5 PM.
Last time out, the Cardinals welcomed in Navy for a special Friday night match-up with Navy. It was a slow offensive start for both teams, as they combined to score 24 points over the first 40 minutes. Wheeling would score first in the opening three minutes of play and Navy responded to tie the score at 7-7. Over the final 24 minutes of the first half, Wheeling would score seven more points and went into the locker room with a 17-7 lead. However, as they hit the second half, Wheeling's defense stiffened, allowing just one more Navy try the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Cardinals offense went off, scoring 17 points over the final 40 minutes to secure the win. Wheeling would take down Navy 34-14, extending their program long 19-game winning streak, as they moved to 7-0 during the 2025 15's season.
Leading the effort was Alexis Dallas, who scored twice on the night and helped the Cardinals seal the deal in the second half. She would score multiple tries for the third straight game, and finished with 10 points on the night. Both of those tries came in the game's second half as she continues to be a big second half performer for the team. She currently sits in the team lead with eight tries this season, and sits second on the team with 40 points this season. Dallas led the Cardinals last season scoring 17 tries, with 13 of those 17 tries coming in the second half of the season. Dallas was named to the National 7's All-Star Challenge a season ago and was one of four Cardinals to earn All-American honors. She looks to keep her success rolling in 2025 as she tries to help the Cardinals become just the third team to defend their National title.
In the kicking game, it was a nice bounce back performance from Bella Gullatta, who finished as the Cardinals leader with 17 points on the day. She made each of the three penalty kicks she attempted, while going 4-4 on Conversion Kicks in the effort. It was a nice bounce back for the senior who leads the Cardinals with 86 points this season. She has been efficient in the kicking game, making 61.9% of the kicks she attempted this season as she continues to lead the Cardinals down the stretch. Rounding out the success for the Cardinal captains was Ema Tai, who got the Cardinals a key score before the half. With Wheeling holding onto a three point lead, it was Tai that plowed her way into the try zone. It was her third try of the season and, while she hasn't made as big a splash on the offensive side this season, Tai's resiliency on the defensive side of the ball has led a Cardinal defense that has held opponents to single digits in all but one game this season.
As they bring the regular season portion of their schedule to a close, the Cardinals will be challenging themselves with several teams that also competed on last season's national stage. In their final three games, they will be facing two teams that played at the National Championship level, including a University of Virginia team that nearly ended their run in the NCR National Tournament before it even started. This weekend is the first time that the Cardinals are playing games on back-to-back days in 15's season history as the starters will be challenged. The defense looks to step up after being tagged for a season-high 14 points against Navy, and set their offense up for several scoring chances throughout the day.
The Matchups
St. Bonaventure: The Cardinals and Bonnies are meeting for the fifth time in program history on Saturday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 4-0. It will be just the second time that the two teams have met in 15's play, with the other three match-ups coming during 7's season. It has been a high-scoring series overall for the Cardinals, with the team averaging 35.75 points per game, and scoring at least 22 points in each match-up. Their last 15's meeting came on November 9th, 2024, in a match that the Cardinals would win 55-10. Alexis Dallas led the way for the Cardinals, scoring three tries and 17 points, while Bella Gullatta added 13 points in the victory.
The University of Cincinnati: The Cardinals and Bearcats will be meeting for the third time in program history on Sunday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 2-0. They have had one meeting each in 15's and 7's season, with both of those meetings having been played at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals have scored 40 or more points in each of those meetings, averaging 53.0 points per game, while not allowing a single Bearcat score during that time. Their last 15's meeting came on September 14th, 2024, in a game the Cardinals would win 66-0. Bella Gullatta led the Cardinal effort with 15 points, one try and seven conversions, while Marlee Garrison added two tries to round out the day.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's weekend opener is scheduled for 10 AM on the campus of St. Bonaventure. Follow along with wucardinals.com as we keep you updated throughout the day.
