Denver builds a 24–5 halftime lead before its defense withstands a second-half surge from the Breakers to secure a second straight WER title
By The Rugby Fan Central Team
The Denver Onyx are Women’s Elite Rugby champions once again.
Denver defeated the Bay Breakers 24–17 on Saturday at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado, capturing the 2026 WER Legacy Cup and becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships in WER.
The final was a tale of two halves. Denver scored four tries to build a commanding 24–5 halftime lead, but Bay’s replacements helped change the momentum after the break. The Breakers scored 12 unanswered points and, just as importantly, held Denver scoreless for the entire second half.
With its attack shut down, Denver needed its defense to preserve the championship — and the Onyx held on.
Denver Takes Control Early
Denver struck first through flyhalf Aly Cunningham, whose breakaway try gave the Onyx an early 7–0 advantage.
Hooker Jojo Kitlinski quickly added another, pushing Denver’s lead to 14–0 after just 11 minutes.
Bay responded through flyhalf Laura Bocek, cutting the deficit to 14–5 after the conversion was missed.
Denver answered with two more tries.
Inside center Saher Hamdan crossed for the Onyx’s third before Cunningham scored her second of the match. Cunningham finished the half 2-for-4 from the conversion tee, giving Denver a 24–5 halftime advantage.
Bay nearly found a second try before the break. Bocek chased a kick toward the Denver try line and came within inches of getting to the ball, but Onyx flanker Carson Hann kicked it dead to bring the opening 40 minutes to a close.
It was the type of attacking performance Denver had produced throughout the season. The Onyx entered the final with a 9–1 record, having scored 425 points and allowed 228, figures confirmed in WER’s official Legacy Cup program.
At halftime, Denver appeared to be firmly in control.
Bay had other ideas.
Bay’s Bench Changes the Game
The second half was a dramatically different contest.
Bay’s replacements brought fresh energy and physicality, helping the Breakers put Denver under increasing pressure while their defense completely shut down the Onyx attack.
Both coaches turned to their benches as the second half developed, with Denver head coach Sarah Chobot and Bay head coach Hannah Stolba looking for fresh legs as the intensity of the championship match increased. For Bay, those changes would have a significant impact.
Lock Emily Nelson crossed to reduce the deficit to 24–10.
Olivia Bernadel-Huey was unable to convert from the wide angle, leaving Bay still needing two scores to erase Denver’s advantage.
Then replacement Celine Liulamaga made her impact felt, diving across between the posts for Bay’s third try. Olivia Bernadel-Huey converted, and Denver’s 19-point halftime advantage had suddenly been reduced to 24–17.
It was now a one-score championship game.
Bay’s second-half performance also prevented Denver from adding to its total. After scoring 24 points and four tries during the opening 40 minutes, the Onyx did not score another point.
The Breakers entered the final with an 8–2 record and 466 points scored, more than Denver’s 425, and that attacking threat became increasingly evident as the second half progressed. WER’s pre-match program also listed Bay with 213 points allowed during the season.
But while Bay’s defense had shut down Denver’s attack, the Onyx defense was now being asked to win the championship.
It did.
Denver repeatedly held its line as Bay searched for the converted try that could have tied the match. A yellow card to Emma Hovanec in the 78th minute made the Breakers’ final push more difficult, and the Onyx survived the closing moments with their seven-point advantage intact.
The numbers tell the story of just how dramatically the championship changed after halftime: Denver won the opening 40 minutes 24–5. Bay won the second half 12–0. The Breakers had turned a 19-point deficit into a one-score game, but Denver never surrendered the final seven points Bay needed.
Denver’s attack controlled the first half. Bay controlled much of the second. Denver’s defense ultimately preserved the title.
Cunningham Shines on Championship Stage
Cunningham was named Player of the Match after scoring two tries and kicking two conversions, accounting for 14 of Denver’s 24 points.
“It means everything,” Cunningham said following the victory. “This whole team has been behind me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
Bay captain Ari Jurkowski pointed to the Breakers’ second-half performance after the match.
“In the locker room, all we talked about was getting back in that game, with that determination and grit,” Jurkowski said in WER’s post-match release.
“We didn’t let them score at all in that second half, and we just needed that one more try,” Jurkowski said.
“We didn’t get there, but I guarantee you: 10 more minutes and we would have.”
That assessment reflected the change in the match after halftime. Bay did more than make the final score respectable. The Breakers prevented the defending champions from scoring for an entire half and forced Denver to defend a seven-point lead deep into the closing stages.
The Breakers fell short of completing the comeback, but their first appearance in the Legacy Cup Final capped a season in which they established themselves as one of WER’s strongest teams.
Bay reached its first Legacy Cup Final with a 25–17 semifinal victory over the TC Gemini. The championship also served as a deciding meeting between two familiar opponents: Denver and Bay had split their regular-season series 1–1 before meeting again with the title on the line.
Denver Sets the Early Standard in WER
Saturday’s victory gives Denver a distinction no other WER team can yet claim.
The Onyx captured the inaugural Legacy Cup in 2025 with a championship victory over the New York Exiles. One year later, they returned to the final and successfully defended their title.
Denver is now the first back-to-back champion of the WER era and the only team to have lifted the Legacy Cup through the league’s first two professional seasons.
The Legacy Cup also connects WER’s professional era to the history that preceded it.
WER’s official championship program describes the Women’s Premier League as an amateur, player-run competition that operated from 2009 through 2024. The Legacy Cup was named to honor the WPL’s members and the generations of women’s rugby trailblazers whose work helped create the foundation for WER.
That history is also built into the trophy itself. The Legacy Cup was designed by Colorado-based former women’s rugby player Amy Root. According to the program, its design begins with the image of an unfinished rugby ball and develops into a more complete, tightly layered structure — representing the growing unity and strength of the women’s game.
That makes Denver’s achievement particularly fitting: the first two names in the professional era of the Legacy Cup belong to the same team.
During the trophy presentation, Bay Breakers assistant coach and athletic trainer Mary Swanstrom received the Kathy Flores Heart of a Champion Award, presented by the US Women’s Rugby Foundation.
After two seasons of Women’s Elite Rugby, Denver has won both championships.
The second title showed two sides of the champions. Denver built its lead through an explosive four-try first half. When Bay took away that attack after halftime, the Onyx found another way to win — by defending the lead they had built.
The Denver Onyx are back-to-back WER champions.
2026 WER Legacy Cup Final
Denver Onyx 24–17 Bay Breakers
Saturday, August 8, 2026
Infinity Park — Glendale, Colorado
Halftime: Denver 24–5 Bay
Second half: Bay 12–0 Denver
Player of the Match: Aly Cunningham
Kathy Flores Heart of a Champion Award: Mary Swanstrom
Denver tries: Aly Cunningham (2), Jojo Kitlinski, Saher Hamdan
Conversions: Aly Cunningham (2)
Bay tries: Laura Bocek, Emily Nelson, Celine Liulamaga
Conversion: Olivia Bernadel-Huey
Images & Video: Courtesy of Women’s Elite Rugby (WER).
