California Golden Bears Athletics

BERKELEY – The Golden Bears defeated Saint Mary's College, 29-19, Saturday under sunny skies at a sold-out Witter Rugby Field. Captain Nic Mirhashem scored the go-ahead try with 10 minutes to play, one of three unanswered tries in the second half by California to deal the Gaels their first loss of the season.
 
"Our plan was to retain possession and we did a lot better job of that in the second half," Mirhashem said.
 
"Both teams are lucky to have each other," said head coach Jack Clark. "It's fortunate to have high-caliber matches locally. Not surprisingly, they exposed quite a bit we need to improve as we turn the page and head into the postseason."
 
Wing Sam Cusano put the Bears (15-1) on the board first with his try in the 12th minute. Seven minutes later the score was tied after a try by Gaels wing Tom Bursati. Both teams battled through possession sequences until Cal grabbed a 10-5 lead on prop Damon Wiley's first score with three minutes remaining in the first half, but a late penalty try awarded to SMC (16-1) sent the Bears into the break at a 12-10 disadvantage.
 
"The tempo wasn't quite what we wanted in the first half," said fullback Troy Lockyear. "In the second half we did a better job pushing the pace."
 
Freshman Sam Walsh came into the match as a halftime replacement for flyhalf Elliot Webb (0-2 conversions, 0-1 penalties), but Cal's kicking remained errant as Walsh's penalty attempt from 20 meters early in the second half went wide left. A try by Gaels flyhalf Aaron Mathews put Cal at a 19-10 deficit, but two minutes later, center Keanu Andrade took an offload from fullback Troy Lockyear and scored.
 
Andrade's try was not converted by Walsh (2-for-3 conversions, 0-for-1 penalties), leaving Cal down 19-15, but the Bears stayed on the job. Mirhashem scored his try 15 minutes later to regain the lead and Wiley sealed the win with his second score at minute 78, Walsh converting both.
 
Said Wiley, "We stuck to it and stayed collected, but we have a lot to work on."
 
In the reserve-grade contest, the Bears beat Saint Mary's by the score of 38-5.
 
The University of California is a host site for two rounds of the national collegiate postseason, whether or not Cal advances, starting with the Round of 16 on Saturday, April 13, at 1 p.m. against an opponent to be announced March 31. Witter Rugby Field is then a national quarterfinal location for two matches the following weekend on Saturday, April 20. Saint Mary's hosts an April 27 semifinal and the national collegiate championship is May 5 in Stevens Stadium at Santa Clara University.
 
"We're happy for the win but there's a lot to work on going into the business end of the season," added Lockyear.
 
The Scoring Timeline vs. Saint Mary's
 
12:00 Sam Cusano 5
 
19:00 SMC (Tom Bursati) 5
 
37:00 Damon Wiley 5
 
40:00 SMC 5, 2
 
Halftime Score: Saint Mary's 12, California 10
 
53:00 SMC (Mathews) 5, (Sean Yacoubian) 2
 
55:00 Keanu Andrade 5
 
69:00 Nic Mirhashem 5, San Walsh 2
 
78:00 Damon Wiley 5, Sam Walsh 2
 
Final Score: California 29, Saint Mary's 19
 
The Team vs. Saint Mary's:
 
15.Lockyear (Purdey @ 71:000), 14. Cusano, 13. A. Roeske, 12. Andrade, 11. Shankland, 10. Webb (Walsh @ 40:00), 9. Poon, 1. Iscaro, 2. Manzo (Joyce @ 04:00, Manzo @ 13:00), 3. Wiley, 4. Salter (Golla @ 56:00), 5. Bader, 6. Spradling, 7. Mirhashem, 8. Heaney