WER 2026 – RD 1: Chicago Tempest v TC Gemini - North American Rugby Database

22 v 78

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The Chicago Tempest host the TC Gemini as both teams kick off their 2026 WER Campaigns. This match marks the first WER game held at the new home of the Tempest, the Benedictine University Sports Complex.

These two teams finished at the bottom of the pile during the 2025 season, with the TC Gemini in 5th with a 2-8 record, and the Tempest 6th with 0-10. The Hosting Tempest will be eager to get the monkey off their backs and secure a 1st franchise victory early in the 2026 season, and they came very close to beating the Gemini on both occasions in 2025, with a 15-20 defeat in RD 1 of 2025, and a nailbiting 12-10 match in RD 11, but the Gemini squeaked both, and hold a 2-0 record over the Tempest. Both of the victories for the TC Gemini in 2025 came against the Chicago Tempest.

The first match up of 2026 was nowhere near as close as in 2025 however. Despite fielding only 22 players, the Gemini recorded an enormous 22-78 road victory to blow the Tempest away, scoring 4 tries before Chicago were able to get on the board, and racking up 11 tries in total, including a hat trick from Melisa Rios Mena on her Gemini and WER debut. The Chicago Tempest salvage a try bonus point, but were never really in this game.

Details

Date	Time	League	Season
May 2, 2026	8:00 pm	Women's Elite Rugby	WER 2026

Results

Team	Tries	Conversions	Penalty Kick	TB	LB	Points
Tempest	4	1	0	1	0	22
Gemini	11	10	1	1	0	78

Tempest

#	Player	Position	T	C	KS/KA	Pts
1	Colleen Murphy 20	Prop	1	0	0	5
2	Ilene Andrade 16	Hooker	0	0	0	0
3	Anabel Diaz 17	Prop	0	0	0	0
4	Julia Wallace	Lock	0	0	0	0
5	Josie Fischer	Lock	0	0	0	0
6	Meg Loomis 21	Flanker	0	0	0	0
7	Maddie Bowers	Flanker	0	0	0	0
8	Hannah Trommer 18	Number 8	0	0	0	0
9	Nicoleta Mesina 19	Scrum-half	0	0	0	0
10	Adriana Mendoza Silva	Fly-half	0	0	0	0
11	Gracie Anderson	Wing	1	0	0	5
12	Nicole Fisch	Center	1	1	1/4	7
13	Chloe Runge 22	Center	0	0	0	0
14	Katie Lohaus 23	Wing	0	0	0	0
15	Emily Krahn	Fullback	0	0	0	0
16	Jayla Twitty 2	Hooker	0	0	0	0
17	Keki O’Neal 3	Prop	1	0	0	5
18	Jazmyne Spear 8	Number 8	0	0	0	0
19	Gabby Pennino 9	Scrum-half	0	0	0	0
20	Syrah Starnes 1	Prop	0	0	0	0
21	Candela Mangiardi-Querol 6	Flanker	0	0	0	0
22	Kalie Korpitz 13	Wing	0	0	0	0
23	Mackenzie Wood 14	Center	0	0	0	0
	Total		4	1	1/4	22

Gemini

#	Player	Position	T	C	P	KS/KA	Pts
1	Hannah Pfersch 20	Prop	1	0	0	0	5
2	Emilee Jalosuo 17	Hooker	1	0	0	0	5
3	Natayah Bauer	Prop	1	0	0	0	5
4	Tonia O’Neill 21	Lock	0	0	0	0	0
5	Lucy Leatherman	Lock	0	0	0	0	0
6	Katrina Nunes 16	Flanker	0	0	0	0	0
7	Brooke Doerscher	Flanker	0	0	0	0	0
8	KJ Johnson	Number 8	1	0	0	0	5
9	Sophie Pyrz 22	Scrum-half	1	0	0	0	5
10	Brogan Mior	Fly-half	0	3	0	3/3	6
11	Melisa Rios Mena	Wing	3	0	0	0	15
12	Megan Ahnen	Center	1	0	0	0	5
13	Stephanie Alliev 18	Center	0	0	0	0	0
14	Serena Liu	Wing	1	0	0	0	5
15	Chloe Headland 19	Fullback	0	7	1	8/9	17
16	Emily Mack 6	Flanker	0	0	0	0	0
17	Rebecca Dooley 2	Prop	0	0	0	0	0
18	Abbey Jacobs 13	Number 8	0	0	0	0	0
19	Keishanique Moton-Tyler 15	Center	0	0	0	0	0
20	Whitney Smith 1	Prop	1	0	0	0	5
21	Bailey Johnson 4	Flanker	0	0	0	0	0
22	Maggie Kleyer 9	Center	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		11	10	1	11	78