With one more NCR D1 play-in game to play on Sunday, the ARC are now 3-for-3 in the first round of the postseason this fall.
Walsh Holds Off Furious Comeback to Beat Indiana
Wheeling defeated Dartmouth 38-33, finally, in the second half, unleashing the speed and explosiveness we'd seen most of the fall.
After a puzzling power outage for the Cardinals in the second half against St. Bonaventure and then the entire 80 minutes against Belmont Abbey, Wheeling continued to struggle to finish tries against Dartmouth.
A break by fullback Richard Wofford set up an attacking scrum for Dartmouth, and the Big Green scored from there with an eight-man shove. No. 8 Jordan Chappell picked up and put down to score.
After a break off the restart by hooker Hamish Yeldham, Dartmouth got their second try when Captain Gabe Riordan snagged a loose ball and raced in from 47 meters.
Wheeling answered with a try out of nowhere. The Cardinals got a turnover, sent the ball wide, and wing Miychal Andrew raced and weaved 75 meters to score.
Dartmouth marched their way down to threaten, relying on their forwards. Prop Gjergji Bacuku was especially massive in this game. They finally scored after sending it wide to Waller Dixon.
As halftime approached, Dartmouth capped off a long period of pressure when Bacuku tapped quickly on a penalty and Yeldham picked up and dove over to finish it. Luke Morrow converted and at halftime it was Dartmouth 26, Wheeling 7.
But that was only the first act.
Wheeling had hardly any good ball and it showed. Right after the second-half restart the Cardinals spun it to center Alex Nyamunda, who took the ball at pace and raced 50 meters to score under the sticks.
When Dartmouth turned the ball over at midfield, Wheeling used the turnover to work their way patiently (but aggressively) down into the Big Green 22. A superb offload from the tackle from Nyamunda to wing Panashe Mugorogodi for the try. Now it was 28-19 and Dartmouth had to be looking over their shoulder.
Dartmouth answered with forward power and another massive scrum allowed Chappell to score his second.
That made it 33-19. Wheeling answered immediately. They kicked deep, pinned Dartmouth in their 22, and charged down a clearance kick.
Mugorogodi pounced on it to get his second.
At 62 minutes he'd have his third. Again Wheeling pinned Dartmouth in their 22 and got a turnover. They spun it wide and Morgorogodi sped around the edge for his hat trick. Dartmouth still led, but now it was only 33-31.
Dartmouth figured they'd do the same thing, but they were slow in their chase and Wheeling's quick ball movement allowed the Cardinals to exploit a fractured field and the ball got out to ... guess who. With his first three tries covering perhaps 20 meters in total, Mugorogodi was able to double that with a long run right past everyone for his fourth. Wheeling 38, Dartmouth 33.
Now with 12 minutes left Dartmouth needed to do something. They put Wheeling under pressure but little execution errors undercut their scoring chances, most notably a lineout at five meters that they couldn't hold onto.
The Big Green kept at it and had a good period of phases testing Wheeling, but one pass went astray and suddenly they were back at halfway. The game ended with Dartmouth working the forwards closer and closer before a knock-on after time was up finished things off.
