Wheeling, W. Va. - One day after setting the single-game points record, the Wheeling University Women's Rugby team (9-0) kept their offense going on Sunday as they welcomed in the University of Cincinnati. The Cardinals would go over the 100-point mark for the second straight day, as they took down the Bearcats 102-7 to pick up their ninth win of the season. Wheeling would spread the ball around, with 12 different Cardinals scoring tries on the day, with each member of the senior class scoring in their final regular season home game.
The Cardinals honored a group of four seniors in a pregame ceremony, and it would be those four that got the Cardinals going. After Rafi Barrack scored the first try of the day, Tamzin Boyce would be the first senior on the scoresheet. After Ema Tai caused a turnover, Boyce would get the ball and bolt down the sideline to touch the ball down. Bella Gullatta sent the conversion kick through the uprights and the Cardinals were staked to a 14-0 lead. After Cincinnati kicked the ball back to the Cardinals, Alexis Dallas was up next as she powered her way past a pair of Bearcat defenders and into the try zone. Gullatta followed with the conversion, and Head Coach Ken Pape would sub them out to thunderous applause from the home crowd. The Cardinals were staked to a 21-0 lead and the back-ups would begin to make their impact on the game.
Despite the changes, the offense just kept going as Liz Sinatra was up next, getting down the sidelines and touching the ball down for her first try of the day. Shannon Whypji would follow with the conversion kick, and just five minutes later, Camarie Brown tacked on another try and another Whypji kick would extend the Cardinal lead to 33-0. In the 28th minute, Whypji would get her first try of the day, but a missed conversion would extend the lead to 38-0. After Peyton Olivas put the Cardinals over the 40-point mark, Ema Tai would be the final senior to get the ball down in the try zone. She would power her way through the Cincinnati defense, and got the ball down for her fourth try of the season. After getting her send-off, Whypji would miss the conversion, but made up for it with a try and a conversion of her own. It would send the game into halftime with the score sitting at 55-0 in favor of the Cardinals.
With the subs fully taking over in the second half, the offense continued to push through as Brown and Barrack would get across the try line for the second time on the day. Arianna Pappas would take over the kicking duties, going 1-2, and the Cardinals lead would move to 67-0 in the 49th minute. Cincinnati would break through in the 52nd minute for their first try and conversion, and they cut the lead to 67-7 with 28 minutes to go. As the half went on, the Cardinals would see a pair of players score their first career tries as they continued to extend the lead. In the 55th minute, Savannah Paris would be the first one to score her first career try, getting across the line. Daisy Cunningham would be next 10 minutes later, and Pappas would sail both conversion kicks through to make it an 81-7 Cardinal lead.
The 11th different Cardinal to score a try was Kylie Baigent, who got across the try line in the 68th minute, and Pappas would add her fourth conversion of the day to get the Cardinals to the 88-point plateau. The 12th different Cardinal to score was Lola Rosario, who took the ball off a scrum and made her way down the sideline, followed by a Pappas conversion that made it a 95-7 affair. As the final minute of the game ticked away, the Cardinals would get across the try line one final time as Daisy Cunningham scored her second try of the day. She was the fourth Cardinal to finish with two tries on the effort, and Pappas would add her final conversion kick and the Cardinals would get over the 100-point mark. It was the third time in the last four games that they reached the 100-point mark as they rounded out their ninth win of the season.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Shannon Whypji, who finished with 16 points on the day as she wrapped up a strong senior day performance. She would score two tries on the day, while going 3-6 on conversion kicks, as she finished off a strong performance on the pitch. Finishing behind her was Arianna Pappas, who added 12 points, going 6-7 on conversion kicks on the day. Whypji would be one of four Cardinals to finish with two tries on the day, as Daisy Cunningham, Rafi Barrack, and Camari Brown would each finish with two tries and 10 points on the day. The other Cardinal tries would come from Tamzin Boyce, Alexis Dallas, Liz Sinatra, Peyton Olivas, Ema Tai, Savannah Paris, Kylie Baigent, and Lola Rosario each scored a try and finished with five points on the day.
The Wheeling University Women's Rugby team returns to action on Saturday, November 8th, when they travel to the University of Virginia.
