Boyd, MD. – As they took to the pitch on Saturday afternoon, the Wheeling University Men's Rugby team had one goal in mind, bringing back a National title. After two hard fought games, the Cardinals were able to do just that, bringing back the second straight National Title in program history. The Cardinals started the day with a 38-12 win over Queens College and would bring home the title with a 19-5 victory over St. Bonaventure, bringing home the fourth National Titel in the Wheeling University Athletic Department's History.
Game One: Wheeling 38, Queens 12
After winning three games on Friday, the Cardinals would have to go through a pair of tough East Division Opponents, starting with Queens University of Charlotte. The Cardinal offense needed just two minutes to get on the board as Shadreck Mandaza used his speed to get down the sidelines and completed his own conversion kick to give the Cardinals a 7-0 advantage. Once the Cardinals got started they were hard to stop as Alex Nyamunda broke off a big run just two minutes later and Mandaza added his second conversion kick that put the Cardinals up 14-0. Queens would answer with their first try and conversion on the next possession to make it 14-7, but the Cardinals were on the board once again before halftime with Mandaza adding his second try. He completed the conversion kick and the teams went into halftime with Wheeling leading 21-7.
As they entered the second half, It was their freshman who would get things started as Mason Ziegler got into the try zone for his first of the National Tournament. Just a minute later, Nyamunda would add his second try of the game and the Cardinals turned a 14-point lead into a 31-5 lead in just two minutes. The final Cardinal try would come from Panashe Mugorogodi at the 13-minute mark as he scored his first try of the second day, and the Cardinals would extend their lead to 36-5. Joe Iye would take the conversion kick to add two more to the scoreboard, and Queens would add one more try in the final minutes of play and the game would come to an end with the final score of 38-12.
It was Shadreck Mandaza once again leading the way for the Cardinals, scoring 16 points on the day to account for half of his team's offense. He continued his high scoring ways from day one and continued to lead the Cardinals on the pitch. Alex Nyamunda, Mason Ziegler, and Panashe Mugorogodi would each add five points on the day with a try, and Joe Iye would add the final two points to round out the day. The Cardinals would advance to the National title game, where they would take on St. Bonaventure for the title.
Game Two: Wheeling 19, St. Bonaventure 5
The Cardinals would get to run through the tunnel for the National Championship game for the second straight year and standing in front of them were the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Both defenses were strong early on, with the Cardinals having trouble getting across the midfield line. It wasn't until the 5:45 mark that the Cardinals would get on the board as Alex Nyamunda broke off the first big run of the day, powering through the Bonnies's defense to get to the try line. Shadreck Mandaza would kick through the conversion and the Cardinals had an early 7-0 lead. That would be the score as the teams headed to the locker room and the Cardinals would try to make adjustments to get themselves going.
As the second half started, the Cardinals began to pull away as Panashe Mugorogodi took a pitch from Mandaza and jetted down the sidelines. He got into the try zone and a Mandaza kick would push the advantage to 14-0 at the 10:54 mark. The Cardinal defense continued to hold strong, picking up another big stop and Ayoub Jalli would add the insurance his team needed. HE would get across the try line for the first time in the tournament and a missed conversion would make it 19-0. St. Bonaventure would break through for their lone score of the game in the 14th minute, but the damage had been done as the Cardinals picked up the 19-5 win.
Shadreck Mandaza would take home his second straight tournament MVP, leading the Cardinals in all five games, including nine points in the title game. He used his speed and skill to move down the field and help the Cardinals build their lead. Panashe Mugorogodi and Jalli would add the final two Cardinal scores with five points each to round out the night.
The Wheeling University Men's Rugby team now heads to the off-season where they can celebrate their second straight conference title.
