Wheeling Jesuit opened their Rugby East conference account with an impressive 37-19 defeat of Iona Saturday.

In a tough, physical game, Iona shocked WJU a little early on with their aggressive defensive front, but the Gaels couldn’t get anything on the scoreboard for their efforts, and the Cardinals entered halftime up 12-0.

 

“Iona was extremely physical and aggressive,” said WJU Head Coach Tal Bayer. “It was the first real test for us in terms of physicality. After halftime we kind of settled down, stopped throwing the ball around, and played a little better.”

Despite two yellow cards in the second half, Wheeling Jesuit extended the lead before Iona scored two late tries.

“WJU had composure at critical times and turned pressure into points,” said Iona Head Coach Bruce McLane. “Iona didn’t.”

Peter Malcolm scored two tries for WJU, while Allan Hanson, Cecil Rich, Brandon Stone, and Reichenbach also touched down for the Cardinals. Ioan scored three tries, with Mike Scarcella, John Powers, and Mike Marro doing the donors.