April 22, 2001

Berkeley, CA. - Cal advanced to rugby's Final Four Sunday with an emphatic win over Air Force.

The Bears ran in 10 tries on their way to a 69-6 win in the national championship quarterfinals which means a trip to Virginia Beach for a May 5th semi-final against Navy.

"I was proud of how we played," said Cal head coach Jack Clark. "Today's score was not a reflection of how much the Air Force team competed. That's as hard as we've been tackled all year."

Indeed, a game Air Force Academy side were defiant to the end, holding Cal scoreless for the last quarter. However, the damage was done early as the Bears took a stranglehold on the match from the kick-off.

Number 8 Shaun Paga opened the Cal account after five minutes and would add four more tries himself, thanks in large part to the forwards' dominance at the set piece. The Bears' scrum was more than Air Force could handle, and the Cal side got its maul working too, driving in five tries from line-outs or free kicks.

Fullback John Buchholz had a good day with the boot, adding seven conversions and a massive drop goal near halftime. Fielding an Air Force clearing kick at halfway, Buchholz took just a couple of steps before launching a 48m shot that bisected the uprights.

In contrast, Navy worked their way to a 30-14 victory over Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo to set up the semi-final clash.

The Bears have won 10 straight national rugby championships and are seeking their 11th in 2001.

Scoring First Half: Shaun Paga try, 5th minute, Alex Hauser try & John Buchholz, 11th min., Paga try & Buchholz conv., 21st min., Buchholz try, 26th min., Paga try & Buchholz conv., 30th min., Paga try & Buchholz conv., 32nd min., Buchholz drop goal, 37th min., Air Force penalty kick, 39th min.

Second Half: Mike MacDonald try & Buchholz conv., 43rd min., Paga try & Buchholz conv., 46th min., Air Force penalty kick, 9th min., Matt Sherman try & Buchholz conv., 52nd min., Eric Andersen try & Dave Guest conv., 23rd min.

First Half Cal 41 Air Force 3

Second Half Cal 28 Air Force 3

Final Cal 69 Air Force 6

Cal Record: 14-1-0