SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Golden Bears got hot on a warm Saturday night on Bellomy Field, scoring 18 tries, utilizing their opportunity to continue improving and extend minutes around the roster in a 106-0 win over Santa Clara University.
Co-captain Alec Gletzer made a successful return to action after a five-week injury layoff and was whisked off the pitch at minute 10 after he showed immediate signs of his old self, arriving first at every breakdown to keep Cal propelling upfield.
"It was good to be back," Gletzer said. "There was a good intensity level out there tonight and a lot of young guys played hard, which is what I saw while I was sidelined as well. This is a good tone as we head into preparation for UBC next week."
Gletzer was replaced by sophomore Drew Gaffney, who was followed in succession by slew of frosh-sophs who maintained the pace and intensity the Bears coaching staff has been after as the stakes build toward the final push of the regular season.
Eleven different Bears scored tries Saturday night, with five from sophomore flanker John Spradling, three from freshman winger Jake Goena and two from Gaffney, while the Bears' conversion kickers -- freshman Matthew Coyle and sophomore Jamie Howells -- went a combined 8-for-18 in shifting breezes as Cal improved to 13-1 and the Broncos fell to 4-6 in their respective 15-a-side records.
"We played to our systems and moved fast with great support," said Spradling. "It was great to have Alec back. He's an awesome player and an awesome leader."
"We knew we'd be facing some adversity," said Broncos head coach Paul Keeler. "I liked the way our team stayed with it. Cal's forwards are big and combined with a backline that's fast and moving together, it's really impressive."
Next up for the Bears is their annual pilgrimage north of the border in the series finale of the ”World Cup” seeking to overcome a 13-point disadvantage in 80 minutes against British Columbia at Thunderbird Stadium on Sunday, March 22, at 1 p.m.
Cal returns to Strawberry Canyon to host Saint Mary's at noon on Saturday, March 28, at in the final match of the regular season before the national postseason for 15s begins at the Penn Mutual Varsity Cup National Championships.
The Scoring Timeline vs. Santa Clara
02:00 John Spradling 5
06:00 Jake Goena 5
10:00 Jake Goena 5
13:00 Jesse Milne 5
16:00 John Spradling 5, Matthew Coyle 2
23:00 John Spradling 5
25:00 John Spradling 5, Matthew Coyle 2
35:00 John Spradling 5
37:00 Kevin Sullivan 5, Matthew Coyle
40:00 Jake Goena 5
Halftime Score: California 56, Santa Clara 0
45:00 Drew Gaffney 5, Jamie Howells 2
54:00 Drew Gaffney 5
57:00 Schuyler Whiting 5, Jamie Howells 2
58:00 Aidan Flynn 5, Jamie Howells 2
61:00 Harry Libarle 5, Jamie Howells 2
67:00 Evan Coleman 5
72:00 Zachary Tavenner 5, Jamie Howells 2
78:00 Michael Goodwin 5
Final Score: California 106, Santa Clara 0
The Team vs. Santa Clara
15. Thornton, 14, Chipman (Libarle @ 44:00, Tavenner @ 70:00), 13. Barrientes (Whiting @ 40:00), 12. Milne (Flynn @ 36:00), 11. Goena (Coleman @ 47:00), 10. Coyle (Howells @ 40:00), 9. Bosco (Goodwin @ 24:00), 1. Sullivan, 2. Haynes, 3. Vrame, 4. Zerbino, 5. Sina, 6. Spradling, 7. Gletzer (Gaffney @ 13:00), 8. Sweet
