Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Women's Rugby program made their mark during their first season in 15's play in 2024, and that winning tradition continued into year two. The Cardinals put together their second straight undefeated regular season during the year as they competed against some of the top schools in National Collegiate Rugby. With a veteran group leading the way, the Cardinals continued to lay the foundation for a winning program moving forward.
The year began on the road for the Cardinals with an 87-0 win over Penn State before taking their first loss to Davenport in a 42-12 game. However, that game was eventually forfeited by Davenport, and the Cardinals ended up coming home sitting at 2-0. They opened the home half of the schedule against Ohio State University, and the offense just kept rolling, putting up 54 points in what was a 54-0 victory. The Cardinals would earn shutout victories in each of their next three games, before getting over the century point mark for the first time this season. They would take down Walsh 108-3 and two weeks later they would set their single-game points record against St. Bonaventure when they took down the Bonnies 136-3. They finished out the season with wins over the University of Cincinnati (102-7) and the University of Virginia (55-24) to complete the 10-0 regular season.
While the offense was electric throughout the season, it was the defense that once again stood out as one of the best in the nation. The Cardinals allowed an average of just 9.3 points per game across their 10 games played, allowing an average of single digits for the second year in a row. Included in that effort were four shutouts and, over their first two seasons as a 15's program, the Cardinals have earned shutouts in nine of their 23 games played. They fell just one game short of tying their longest shutout streak of four which they set during the 2024 season from September 29th through November 2nd. Defense has set the foundation, but it is the offense that has helped lead the Cardinals to that championship caliber level.
The Cardinal offense continued to soar throughout the season, averaging 68.1 points per game, and scoring at least 28 points in each contest. They hit the century mark on three different occasions during the year, including setting the single-game points record with 136 against St. Bonaventure. When the defense was at it's best, the Cardinal offense responded scoring at least 54 points in each of the team's shutouts during the year. Down the stretch, the Cardinals went over the 100-point mark in back-to-back games, scoring 136 against St. Bonaventure and 102 against Cincinnati, before ending the year with a 55-point effort against the University of Virginia. It was a total team effort throughout the season, with 28 different players scoring at least one point on the season, with seven of those scoring 30+ points.
The Wheeling University Women's Rugby team continues their offseason push as they look to continue their success into the spring 7's season.
