VANCOUVER, Canada – Jake Anderson kicked a 25-meter penalty with no time remaining to give the Golden Bears an epic 23-21 victory over British Columbia on Sunday at Thunderbird Stadium.
California (14-1) made the most of its opportunities against UBC (9-4), battling toe to toe with a powerful T-Birds team and leading most of a match that featured every ounce of effort the 95-year-old "World Cup" series demands.
"We came into this game with a sense of purpose knowing how big it was," Anderson said. "We stuck with it and worked our tails off."
Both teams came out looking to put their physical stamp on the contest, with UBC testing early the referee's tolerance for extracurriculars. Flyhalf Bryan Tyrer drew the first of two yellow cards against the hosts when he hit winger Patrick Barrientes in the air at minute two.
Cal could not capitalize on its one-man advantage and British Columbia outside center Brock Staller gave UBC a 3-0 lead with his penalty kick from 35 meters at minute 11.
With both teams back at full strength, Cal's defensive scrum produced a loose ball that flyhalf Russell Webb seized and took up the sideline for a score in the right corner, from which Anderson could not convert, keeping the Bears' lead at 5-3. The senior fullback found his range on a 35-meter penalty attempt of his own three minutes later to make it 8-3 in favor of the Blue and Gold.
Finding better purchase in UBC territory, Cal hammered away for several phases to draw a penalty at the Thunderbirds' 5-meter line, where flanker Carl Hendrickson tapped and drove the ball over the line to give Cal a 12-point lead after Anderson successfully converted to put the score at 15-3.
UBC's Liam Murphy-Burke immediately probed inside the 10-meter line Bears but was driven into touch. Two minutes later, Staller missed a 37-meter penalty attempt, but the UBC No. 13 was rewarded five minutes later when his earnest pursuit of a loose ball resulted in host's first try of the day as Staller pounced on the pill in the try zone. His conversion made it a 15-10 match in favor of the Bears going into halftime.
The Bears found themselves defending their side of the pitch in the early stages of the second half, unable to keep the ball away from the T-Birds on clearance kicks. Soon, Murphy-Burke took a counter attack inside the Cal 22 and UBC drew a penalty that Tyrer kicked between the posts to creep within two points at 15-13.
At minute 55 the Bears were whistled for a penalty but Tyrer's kick for three points was no good off the right upright. Cal's clearance kick went to UBC winger Manar Kulkhan, who burst 35 meters inside the 10-meter line before the Bears' defense stopped the attack and Cal's Harry Adolphus cleared the ball into touch near midfield.
UBC lock Sam Clark was soon sent off with his yellow card and the Bears tried to go to work inside the Thunderbirds' side of the pitch. British Columbia managed to hold the Bears at bay and earned a penalty in the 66th minute for a chance to take the lead, but Tyrer's attempt from 38 meters was just wide.
With both teams at full strength for the final 12 minutes, Adolphus scored the team's third try in the 70th minute when he got into space, kicked ahead and outran the defense to cover the ball in the T-Birds' try zone.
"It was tough road but we stuck with it," Adolphus said of the adversity he and the Bears faced Sunday. "A good platform to build on."
But British Columbia was not done. Tyrer then kicked his second penalty (2-of-4) and followed that with a try that gave UBC the lead at 21-20 with only 60 seconds remaining. His missed conversion left the door open, barely, for Cal's final push.
A large crowd laden with Bears supporters who had traveled north of the border stood on eggshells as a UBC penalty gave Anderson the last chance to retake the lead and earn a split in the 2015 "World Cup" series. The home portion of the crowd was unhesitant to make noise in an effort to distract the fullback, but Anderson's kick was true and the match ended with the co-captain swarmed by his teammates.
"A big moment like that, you've got to put all the external stuff away, just keep your rhythm, and it all worked out," Anderson said.
"Hats off to Cal," said UBC coach Ramses Langston. "They're a great program. A match like this celebrates the young athletes on both these teams. The crowd got full value for its ticket today."
Playing a full 80 minutes on Sunday for his first complete match since leaving the pitch with injury in the February 7 "Cup" opener, Alec Gletzer said it was "great to be back out there. The guys really played their hearts out and left everything on the field. UBC, like always, was great competition."
"Having Alec back was huge," said Anderson. "He had a freak of a game."
The Bears now return to Berkeley, where the Blue and Gold will spend Spring Break buckled down in preparation for Saint Mary's, which visits on Saturday, March 28, for a noon kickoff in the final match of the regular season.
At the conclusion of the regular season, Cal will embark on its quest to win the 2015 Penn Mutual Varsity Cup National Rugby Championship, beginning at either Notre Dame or Texas on April 11, when the Bears face the winner of round one's clash between the Irish and Longhorns in a quarterfinal matchup.
If Cal advances past the Varsity Cup quarterfinals, Cal will host a national semifinal on Saturday, April 18, against the survivor of the bracket featuring Clemson, Arkansas State, Dartmouth and Navy. The Penn Mutual Varsity Cup National Rugby Championship final takes place Saturday, May 2, in Rio Tinto Stadium outside of Salt Lake City.
Following the conclusion of its 15s season, the Bears will prepare to compete at the 2015 Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship, where Cal has won two consecutive national championships in 7s.
The Scoring Timeline vs. British Columbia
11:00 UBC (Brock Staller) 3
14:00 Russell Webb 5
18:00 Jake Anderson 3
24:00 Carl Hendrickson 5, Jake Anderson 2
34:00 UBC (Brock Staller) 5, 2
Halftime Score: California 15, British Columbia 10
46:00 Bryan Tyrer 3
70:00 Harry Adolphus 5
74:00 UBC (Bryan Tyrer) 3
79:00 UBC (Bryan Tyrer) 5
80:00 Jake Anderson 3
Final Score: California 23, British Columbia 21
The Team vs. British Columbia
15. Anderson, Battaglia, 13. Adolphus, 12. A. Salaber, 11. Barrientes (Milne @ 62:00), 10. Webb, 9. Bosco (Boyer @ 53:00), 1. Walsh, 2. Bush, 3. Vrame (Sullivan @ 77:00), 4. Kondrat, 5. Sina, 6. Hendrickson, 7. Gletzer, 8. Sweet (Tandy @ 72:00)
