May 1, 2009

STANFORD - The No. 1 Golden Bears beat No. 4 Army, 42-17, in Friday night's national semifinal at Steuber Rugby Stadium to set up California (30-1) vs. No. 2 Brigham Young (17-0) for the national championship Saturday at 7 p.m. The Bears are one win away from their sixth straight collegiate crown and 25th title in program history.

"We're pleased to advance and want to acknowledge Army for the fine team that they are," said Cal head coach Jack Clark.

BYU advanced to its fourth straight national championship matchup against the Bears with its 31-13 win over No. 3 San Diego State (12-1) earlier in the afternoon.

Among the features of Cal's lineup tonight was speedy sophomore Connor Ring starting at scrumhalf and freshman Danny Barrett getting the nod at one flanker position. Rainy conditions during the preceding semi tapered to a mist for the Cal-Army kickoff and captain Keegan Engelbrecht got Cal's motor going in the fourth minute with a 40-meter penalty kick.

The Bears took care of the ball and kept going forward en route to a 25-0 halftime lead.

"You've got to keep the ball tighter and can't be too loose with it," said flanker Scott Kidd of Cal's effort. "It was hit or miss from time to time, but overall we took care of the ball well enough to advance."

The Black Knights (12-2-1) finished strong with 17 points in the second stanza but it would not be enough.

"You've got to respect the conditions, but we don't want to alter our game too much," said Engelbrecht, who accounted for 17 points for the Bears. "For the most part we stuck to our game plan,"

Asked if he's ready to play another match tomorrow, this one for the national championship, the senior flyhalf said, "Maybe an ice bath and a bit of a meal, and I'll be ready to go."

In the other semi, two drop-goals and a conversion by outside center Stephen Mulhall added to a try by flyhalf Ryan O'Connor to give the Aztecs a 13-5 halftime lead over the Cougars.

The Cougars went a man down with a 46th-minute yellow card against Sam Thorley, but BYU stayed on the attack and took the lead while shorthanded on a try by flyhalf Dylan Lubbe. A breakway kick-and-chase try by outside center Paul Lasike at the 70th minute extended BYU's lead to 24-13, and a Vito QaQa loose-play try at the 78th minute sealed the win for the Cougars.

Tomorrow's national championship will be the fourth straight meeting between Cal and BYU with the title for the taking.

California vs. Army Scoring Timeline:

04:00 Cal (Keegan Engelbrecht) 3

11:00 Cal (Danny Barrett) 5, (Keegan Engelbrecht) 2

14:00 Cal (Keegan Engelbrecht) 3

18:00 Cal (Ryan Taylor) 5

48:00 Cal (Jason Law) 5, (Keegan Engelbrecht) 2

Halftime: California 25, Army 0

44:00 Cal (Chris Biller) 5, (Keegan Engelbrecht) 2

51:00 Army (Robert O'Neill) 5

53:00 Cal (Sean Gallinger) 5, (Keegan Engelbrecht) 2

56:00 Cal (Keegan Engelbrecht) 3

65:00 Army (Dave Geib) 5

72:00 Army (Dave Geib) 5, (John Wagner) 2

Final Score: California 42, Army 17

The Team vs. Army: 15. Bailes, 14. Harris, 13. Hawley (Gallinger @ 29:00, Hawley @ 35:00), 12. Gallinger (Scully @ 29:00, Gallinger @ 35:00, Howard @ 60:00), 11.Taylor, 10. Engelbrecht © (Gallinger @ 60:00), 9. Ring, 1. J. Barrett, 2. Biller (N. Barrett @ 46:00), 3. Fujimoto, 4. Snellgrove, 5. Fry (Casias @ 46:00), 6. D. Barrett, 7. Kidd (Law @ 54:00), 8. Asbun (Law @ 30:00, Asbun @ 40:00)

Friday Semifinals Summary:
BYU 31, San Diego State 13
California 42, Army 17

7 p.m. Saturday: California vs. Brigham Young
2009 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

TICKETS & PARKING INFO: Tickets for tomorrow are $15 for adults and $5 for students and military personnel with valid ID. Steuber Rugby Stadium is located on the Cardinal campus south of Sunken Diamond Parking Lot and Masters Grove, with plenty of free parking.