GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Davenport men's rugby team opened the 2015 D1A Rugby Playoffs Saturday night on the DU Turf Field as they defeated no. 12 Wheeling-Jesuit 38-8 in the opening round. Jean Pierre Eloff recorded 18 points on four conversion kicks, one penalty kick and a try. Anthony Welmers and Reece Czarnecki each tallied a pair of tries in the blowout win, as the Panthers now travel to West Point, N.Y. next Saturday to take on Army in the second round of playoff action.
 
Czarnecki put the Panthers on the board first as he recorded back to back tries at 28:06 and 3:41 in the first half. In between those two scores, Eloff missed just wide on his first penalty kick of the contest, and Wheeling Jesuit's Allan Hanson was able to split the uprights to make it a 14-3 game with 3:41 left in the first.
 
The Cardinals would then record their first try of the contest as time expired to send the game into halftime with the Panthers leading 14-8.
 
The second half was all Davenport as Eloff got things going with his lone penalty kick of the game four minutes into the half. At the 28:18 mark, Mason Baum broke away down the right sideline and offloaded to Eloff before taking a massive hit give the Panthers a crucial try to put them up 17-8.
 
Baum would find ye another break away down the middle of the field, and passed it off to O'Donnell who got down to the three yard line before feeding Welmers for his first score of the contest and the Panthers' second try in just 90 seconds. Eloff connected on the conversion and the Panthers now sat with a comfortable 24-8 lead.
 
After the Cardinals missed wide left on a penalty kick, Davenport was able to put the game out of reach as Mike Houston broke away down the southern sideline and fed Welmers on a 2-1 breakaway to give him his second try of the game, clinching a 38-8 Panther victory.
 
The Panthers now advance to the second round of the D1A Rugby Playoffs, where they will meet Army on their home turf in West Point, N.Y.
 
Men's Rugby Contact: Paul Anderson | 616-889-4062 | panderson30@email.davenport.edu
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