BERKELEY – Taking on the Cougars for the first time since the 2016 Penn Mutual Varsity Cup national championship, The Bears defeated BYU 37-28 in Saturday's season opener. Five Bears scored in a seven try victory.
 
"I really didn't know what to expect today having not played in a year, but I didn't expect us to look like we hadn't played in three years," head coach Jack Clark said. "BYU deserves credit for what they put into that match."
 
After jumping out to an early 10-0 lead on Saturday, BYU responded with a try and a conversion to pull within three (10-7). The Bears and Cougars traded the next two scores before Cal built itself a 13-point 27-14 lead at halftime. Coming out of the break, the Cougars scored two unanswered tries to briefly pull ahead by one point (28-27). However, four minutes later, sophomore scrumhalf Max Clark, who was just inserted off the reserve bench, scored his first try of the season in the 62nd-minute. Then senior wing Marcus Shankland collected his third try of the game in the 78th-minute to close out the Bears' victory.
 
"It was great to get some competition today," Shankland said. "Today wasn't a perfect performance, but in the final minutes, the forwards really buckled down. My tries always come down to the work from the rest of the team. I just do my best to finish off the gritty work that is done on the inside. It was a good win, but we've got a long way to go."
 
Cal will now return to the pitch to prepare for their next context at Saint Mary's on April 17.
 
To follow Cal rugby this season, be sure to visit calbears.com/sports/mens-rugby or follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
 
Scoring Timeline:
 
Cal 37, BYU 28
 
6:00 Jason Severance 5
10:00 Nick Bloom 5
14:00 BYU 5, BYU 2
21:00 Marcus Shankland 5, Sam Walsh 2
30:00 BYU 5, BYU 2
34:00 Marcus Shankland 5
38:00 Ken Kurihara 5
Halftime Score: Cal 27, BYU 14
48:00 BYU 5, BYU 2
58:00 BYU 5, BYU 2
62:00 Max Clark 5
78:00 Marcus Shankland 5
 
Starters vs BYU
1. Owen Duvall 2. Nathan Zylstra 3. Michael Puckett 4. Sam Golla 5. Max Murphy 6. Garrett Kay 7. Jason Severance 8. Jake Broekhuizen 9. Ken Kurihara 10. Sam Walsh 11. Marcus Shankland 12. Gavin Janis 13. Seth Purdey 14. Nick Bloom 15. Max Schumacher
Substitutions:
48:00 – Max Clark (Ken Kurihara)
62:00 – Cal Liebowitz (Seth Purdey)
65:00 – Charlie Walsh (Michael Puckett)
68:00 – Luke Freeman (Jake Broekhuizen)
78:00 – Marco Caramanico (Garrett Kay)