Boyd, MD. – Day one of the Collegiate Rugby Championships (CRC) National 7's got underway Friday, with the top teams in the country converging on the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyd, Maryland. The Wheeling University Men's Rugby team (16-1-1) entered the tournament as the #1 seed in the West Region, looking to become just the third team in the history of National Collegiate Rugby to win three straight National Titles. The Cardinals remained on that National Championship path with a 3-0 day on the first day of competition, as they advance to Saturday's semifinal action against Kutztown.
Game 1: #1 Wheeling 45, #8 Indiana Tech 0
Wheeling would start their national title defense on Field 12 of the Maryland SoccerPlex when they battled #8 seeded Indiana Tech to open the bracket. The Cardinals would kick to Indiana Tech to start the game, but it wasn't long before the offense got going. After making a stop, Wheeling got the ball into the hands of Alex Nyamunda, who galloped across the try line for the first score of the day. Shadreck Manadaza would send the conversion through, and the Cardinals got out to a 7-0 early advantage. On the next Cardinal possession, Mandaza got the ball back into his hands and raced across the try line to extend the Cardinal advantage to 12-0 with 4:14 to go before the half. A missed conversion kick would keep the score at 12-0 as the Cardinals gave the ball back to Belmont Abbey.
The Cardinal defense continued to pressure throughout the first half, and Taku Musingwini would create havoc on the field. Musingwini would force a Belmont Abbey fumble, scoop the ball up, and take it all the way to the try zone to put Wheeling ahead 17-0. Another failed conversion would keep it a 17-0 game, and Head Coach Maxwell Hamilton would get to use some of his reserve players. It would be one of those reserve players that got on the board next, as Nyamunda brought the ball up the field. He would pitch the ball to Nate McDermott, who took it the rest of the way for his first career try at the CRC National 7's event. The sophomore would follow it up with his first conversion kick on the national stage, and the teams went into the locker room holding a 24-0 lead.
As the second half kicked off, the Cardinals would get the ball first, and the good times kept rolling for McDermott. He would get the ball once again and sprint to the goal line to score his first multi-try game of the 7's season. It made it a 29-0 Wheeling lead, and Mandaza would hit his second conversion to make it 31-0. The Cardinals spread the ball around in the second half, with three different Cardinals scoring in the half. After assisting on McDermott's first try of the day, Alex Nyamunda would take it himself with 3:58 to go in the game, and Mandaza would hit his third conversion of the day to make it a 38-0 Cardinal lead. The final try of the day would come courtesy of Mason Ziegler, who got across the try line with 1:29 remaining in the game. Mandaza sailed his final conversion through the uprights, bringing the game to its final score of 45-0.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals was Nate McDermott, who put together a multi-try effort to finish with 10 points. They were the first two tries of his National Tournament career, as he gave the Cardinals a mid-game boost. The other multi-try scorer on the day was Alex Nyamunda, who added two tries to start his National Championship run. Finishing right behind them was Shadreck Mandaza, who finished with nine points thanks to one try and two conversions on the day. Taku Musingwini and Mason Ziegler would add the final two tries, scoring five points each, as the Cardinals advanced to the round of 32.
Game 2: #1 Wheeling 38, #4 Utah State 12
After pitching a shutout in game one, the Cardinal defense kept the momentum going into their Round of 32 game. Once again, the Cardinals kicked to start the game, and once again, the Cardinals came up with the early stop. A Utah State turnover would get the Cardinals the ball, and Shadreck Mandaza would get things started on the restart. He faked a pitch to Alex Nyamunda and used his speed to burst through the middle of the field and into the try zone. It gave Wheeling a 5-0 lead, and the defense would help set the offense up for their second score of the day. Alex Nyamunda laid a big hit that knocked the ball out, and he would scoop and score all the way down the field. Taku Musingwini would attempt his first conversion of the day and sail it through the uprights to extend Wheeling's lead to 12-0 with 3:54 to play in the first half.
After holding the opposition off the board for the first 19 minutes of the day, Wheeling allowed their first score with 2:14 to go in the half, as Utah State made it a 12-5 game. Wheeling would get the ball back with time to go and would score one more time before the teams broke for the locker room. With a loose ball on the ground, Panashe Mugorogodi would pick it up and score his first try of the National Tournament to make it a 17-5 game. Mandaza would be the one to end the half, sailing the conversion through the uprights, and the Cardinals went into the locker room holding a 19-5 advantage. Wheeling would score on each of their three possessions in the first half, with the defense creating opportunities for the offense to take advantage of.
Just two minutes into the second half, it was once again Mandaza who got things going with Wheeling backed up into a corner. He would kick the ball downfield and use his speed to outrun the defense, pick up the ball, and get across the try line for his second score of the game. Musingwini would take the conversion kick, and the Cardinals' lead pushed to 26-5 as the Wheeling offense began to pile on. After making the conversion on the try before, Musingwini took his chance to get into the try zone, taking a feed from Nate McDermott. It would be his second try of the tournament, and he hit his own conversion to make it a 33-5 game. Utah State would get one more on the board and follow with the conversion to make it 33-12, but Nyamunda would wrap up the scoring with his first try of the game, and the Cardinals would hold on for the 38-12 victory.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals was Shadreck Mandaza, who finished with 12 of his team's 38 points in the effort. He would finish with two tries on the day while hitting the lone conversion he attempted. Finishing one point behind him was Taku Musingwini, who scored one try and put three conversions through the uprights. The final two-try game came courtesy of Alex Nyamunda, who finished with 10 points, while Panashe Mugorogodi scored the final try to finish with five points in the effort.
Game 3: #1 Wheeling 29, #3 Belmont Abbey 10
As the competition field narrowed, the talent level of the opposition kept rising as the Cardinals advanced to the quarterfinal round. They would match up with #3 seeded Belmont Abbey, a team that the Cardinals split with in the first two meetings of the season. The Crusaders would get the ball first, and after going back and forth through the first few possessions, it was Belmont Abbey that found the try zone first. They would take a 5-0 advantage at the 4:48 mark of the first half, and the Cardinals were set for a response. They would turn to Shadreck Mandaza to get things going once again, and he once again used his speed to break the defense. He shot like a cannon through the middle of the field and touched the ball down to tie the game at 5-5.
With 2:22 to play in the half, both teams were looking for any advantage they could heading into halftime, and it was the Cardinals that broke through. It was once again Mandaza making things happen, as he intercepted a pass from Belmont Abbey. Once he got the ball with momentum, there was no stopping him as he bolted for the try zone and touched the ball down. He would attempt the conversion and give the Cardinals some breathing room with his first conversion of the game, and the Cardinals held a 12-5 lead at the halftime break. Mandaza was responsible for each of the Cardinals' 12 first-half points and looked to continue his success into the second half. Wheeling would get the ball first, and a breakaway run from Michael Muleya would get them into the offensive zone.
Alex Nyamunda was able to take the ball the rest of the way, touching it down between the uprights. Mandaza hit his second conversion of the game, and the Cardinals' lead expanded to 19-5 with 5:08 to go. Belmont Abbey would not go away quietly, and two minutes later they got on the board with a try and a conversion, making it a one-score game with three minutes to play. Both teams would turn the ball over, jockeying for position, before Taku Musingwini jumped on a loose ball. He found a hole in the defense and broke away for his first try of the game, and Wheeling was back to a two-score lead at 24-10. As time expired, the Cardinals had the ball within 10 meters of their try line, and Panashe Mugorogodi would cap off the scoring with his first try to bring the game to its final score of 29-10.
Shadreck Mandaza rounded out day one with another strong performance, leading the Cardinals with 14 points in the quarterfinal effort. He would cross the try line twice in the game while adding two conversion kicks to round out his effort. The final three tries were scored by three different players, with Alex Nyamunda, Taku Musingwini, and Panashe Mugorogodi each scoring five points in the win.
The overall day one leader for the Cardinals was Shadreck Mandaza, who racked up 35 points between the three games. He would get across the try line five times while sending five kicks through the uprights. Alex Nyamunda would finish behind him with 25 points, scoring five tries, while Taku Musingwini finished with 21 points, finishing with three tries and adding three conversions.
The Wheeling University Men's Rugby team returns to action for the CRC National 7's Semifinals on Saturday when they take on Kutztown, with opening kickoff at 4:20 PM.
