CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Queens University of Charlotte Men's Rugby opened the 2026 season with a dominant 47-0 victory over the University of Rio Grande on Saturday in Charlotte.

The Royals were originally scheduled to open the season on the road in Ohio, but due to weather conditions, the match was moved to Charlotte.

Queens came out strong from the opening whistle, finding the try zone early off a powerful set-piece maul. CJ Thompson finished the drive by going over for the first try of the season, giving the Royals an early lead.

Gideon Wessel then provided the next big moment for Queens, returning a kick for a try to extend the lead to 14-0.

Following the fast start, Rio Grande applied significant pressure, forcing the Royals to work through a difficult stretch. Queens struggled to maintain possession, particularly at the contact point, and turned the ball over multiple times. Despite the pressure, the Royals managed to add another try before halftime to take a 21-0 lead into the break.

Queens came out of halftime with renewed energy, immediately working its way down the field and scoring shortly after the restart to push the advantage to 28-0.

From there, the Royals settled into the match and began to use their structure and organization to control play. Queens added several more tries throughout the second half, eventually closing out the season opener with a 47-0 shutout victory.

The Royals will now turn their attention to their next challenge, as Queens heads to Army for a major early-season test.

Coach Reed's Thoughts
"It was a good start for us, but we have a lot to build off of. We lost a lot of balls in contact today, and we did not execute a single lineout in the second half. We have to be better at the contact point, and our accuracy at set piece has to improve. Against stronger opposition, those mistakes can easily turn into points against us.

Overall, I'm happy with the effort today and proud of the first-years who came out and played. But we have to continue to grow week to week."