SALT LAKE CITY – Cal rugby defeated Utah 68-0 on Friday night at McCarthy Track and Field on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City.
 
"We appreciate Utah for staying at the match," head coach Jack Clark said. "Instead of packing it in, they got stuck into us in the second half and had their share of the run of play. Our boys dealt with same day airline travel about as well as could be hoped. It would have been easy for them to be flat, but they showed some real enthusiasm for the contest."
 
The Bears collected 10 tries from nine different players in Friday night's contest versus Utah. Cal scored their first try in the third minute when sophomore Charlie Walsh crossed the line on a five-meter lineout drive. Multiple attacking phases brought senior Gavin Janis across the try-line shortly after in the ninth minute. Friday's contest was his first start and try of the 2022 XVs season. Cal stayed on the attack throughout the rest of the first half, collecting five more tries and successfully keeping the Utes outside of their own try-zone. Junior Nate Salter also went 7-for-7 on conversion attempts in the first half.
 
The Bears rallied their energies in the second half, despite facing the difficult conditions in the cold Salt Lake City weather at nightfall. Sophomore Clayton Seastrand crossed the line in the 54th minute to claim his first try of the XVs season. A try from sophomore Evan Weigold followed shortly after on a clean drive through the Utah line from a Cal primary phase strike. He collected one more try in the 70th minute to secure the win for Cal. Junior Jack Casey went 2-for-3 on conversions in the second half.
 
"It felt good taking the field with new faces," senior Luke Ogburn said. "It was a great opportunity for new guys to showcase their skills and allow our coaches to navigate the depth of our team going into the final game of our regular season."
 
The Bears will return to Strawberry Canyon for their final contest of the regular season. Cal is scheduled to take on Saint Mary's on Saturday, March 26 at noon at Witter Rugby Field.
 
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby/).
 
Scoring Timeline
Cal 68, Utah 0
3:00 – Charlie Walsh 5, Nate Salter 2
9:00 – Gavin Janis 5, Nate Salter 2
14:00 – Cal Liebowitz 5, Nate Salter 2
18:00 – Emilio Shea 5, Nate Salter 2
22:00 – Will Shankland 5, Nate Salter 2
32:00 – Nick Leusing 5, Nate Salter 2
40:00 – Luke Freeman 5, Nate Salter 2
Halftime: Cal 49, Utah 0
54:00 – Clayton Seastrand 5
58:00 – Evan Weigold 5, Jack Casey 2
70:00 – Evan Weigold 5, Jack Casey 2
 
Starters vs Utah:
1. Emilio Shea 2. Jack Manzo 3. Charlie Walsh 4. Matthew Dodd 5. Tom Dixon 6. Cal Liebowitz 7. Luke Ogburn 8. Luke Freeman 9. Jack Gallagher 10. Nate Salter 11. Caleb Tomasin 12. Kevin Saunders 13. Gavin Janis 14. Max Clark 15. Will Shankland
 
Substitutions:
12:00 – Dom Paga
27:00 – Matt Vranesh, Clayton Seastrand, Nick Leusing
40:00 – Jack Casey, Evan Weigold
50:00 – Jake Shiff, Mack Fell