BERKELEY – Trailing at halftime, 13-8, against Saint Mary's, California scored 16 unanswered points in the final quarter to beat the Gaels, 27-20, at a sold-out Witter Rugby Field on a sunny Saturday in a match broadcast live nationwide on Pac-12 Networks.
“The match was highly contested,” said head coach Jack Clark. “We have a lot of respect for the Saint Mary's team.”
With members of the 1980 and 1995 Golden Bears' national championship teams on hand for their respective reunions, Cal (15-1) got its go-ahead try from winger Andrew Battaglia in the 67th minute followed by an insurance kick from fullback Jake Anderson (4-of-5 penalties) to seal the win over the Gaels (7-4), who scored their points off the foot of Dylan Audsley (2-of-2 conversions, 2-of-3 penalties) and tries by Cooper Maloney and Holden Yungert.
“The Gaels were very scrappy,” said co-captain Alec Gletzer. “But we knew we could close the match out if we kept our eyes on the target.”
After trading early penalty kicks for a 3-3 score at minute 10, the Bears were unable to finish several offensive sequences until scrumhalf Paul Bosco motored past the Gaels defense on the short side of a ruck to put the Blue and Gold up, 8-3.
Maloney's converted try and Audsley's second penalty kick put the visitors back in the lead at 13-8, a five-point deficit the Bears took into halftime after lock Sione Sina was thwarted in a barreling run that was held up in goal and Anderson's second penalty attempt went wide right to end the first 40 minutes with two missed opportunities.
“We had several really good scoring opportunities in the first half and made a hash of them,” coach Clark said. “I felt we left too many points on the field and off the board. We should feel much better about the second half and maybe especially the last 20 minutes. It was warm, but our energy level built as the match advanced.”
Their frustrating first half behind them, the Bears seized their next chance to score when Anderson connected from 30 meters just two minutes into the second stanza and Cal crept within two points at 13-11, but five minutes later, Yungert saw his channel open as the Bears scrambled on defense and the SMC scrumhalf scored his try, followed by Audsley's conversion, to put Cal back in a hole at 20-11.
Contending with whistles for errors and infractions in addition to the adversity provided by their opposition, the Bears were unable to find success over the next several minutes in set pieces or phase play. Then, after the another whistle allowed Saint Mary's to set up a lineout near its 40-meter line, Cal was able to wrest success from a Saint Mary's set piece when lock James Kondrat started and finished a scoring sequence, stealing the Gaels' lineout throw and getting the ball back in support to streak the final 20 meters into the try zone.
Cal still trailed, 20-16, but another lineout steal by Kondrat and resolute play by the forward pack was awarded by an offside call against SMC, which allowed Anderson's three-point kick from 30 meters to make it a one-point contest at 20-19 in favor of the visitors.
Staying on the attack, Cal set up the go-ahead try through the hands and feet of Harry Adolphus. The outside center played advantage after a Saint Mary's knock-on inside Cal territory, kicking ahead and capturing the bouncing ball to feed Battaglia, who fended off two tacklers to get into the try zone and retake the lead. Anderson could not convert from the right touchline, but his penalty kick from 37 meters with seven minutes to go gave the Bears enough space to play their way to victory over a very difficult opponent for the second straight week.
“It's the boys who were out there making the plays, getting to the breakdowns, finishing the rucks and getting over the ball who deserve the credit,” said Kondrat, who hails from Brooklyn, N.Y., and Xavier High School. “The atmosphere around the field today was amazing and it was great that everyone on the East Coast was able to see it on TV.”
In the reserve-grade contest, Cal defeated the Gaels by the score of 83-7.
Commenting on the road ahead, Clark said, “As much as performance is always the objective, what the match really serves is our preparation for the Varsity Cup National Championship. A tough match late in the season is good prep.”
Cal will now 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 on April 3 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.
“It would be great to come back out and play in front of our fans one more time this season,” Anderson said. “It was such a great crowd today.”
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 their 15s season, the Bears will prepare to compete at the 2015 Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship May 30-31 in Philadelphia, where Cal has won two consecutive national championships in 7s.
The Scoring Timeline vs. Saint Mary's
07:00 SMC (Dylan Audsley) 3
09:00 Jake Anderson 3
24:00 Paul Bosco 5
32:00 SMC (Cooper Maloney) 5, (Dylan Audsley) 2
34:00 SMC (Dylan Audsley) 3
Halftime Score: Saint Mary's 13, California 8
42:00 Jake Anderson 3
47:00 SMC (Holden Yungert) 5, (Dylan Audsley) 2
58:00 James Kondrat 5
64:00 Jake Anderson 3
67:00 Andrew Battaglia 5
73:00 Jake Anderson 3
Final Score: California 27, Saint Mary's 20
The Team vs. Saint Mary's
15. Anderson, 14. Battaglia, 13. Adolphus, 12. A. Salaber, 11. Milne (Honens @ 61:00), 10. Webb, 9. Bosco (Boyer @ 56:00), 1. Walsh, 2. Bush, 3. Vrame, 4. Kondrat, 5. Sina, 6. Hendrickson, 7. Gletzer, 8. Sweet (Tandy @ 74:00)
