BERKELEY – California rugby leaves the friendly confines of Strawberry Canyon for the first time since January for a contest with the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland on Saturday. The Golden Bears and the Midshipmen kick off at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT at the Prusmack Rugby Center. The match will be featured on the Rugby Network and will be aired live and free to viewers.
 
"We are really pleased to now have the opportunity to play a regular-season match every year with Navy," Cal head coach Jack Clark said. "We have nothing but respect for these Midshipmen."
 
Cal, which is coming off a five-week homestand, last made the trip to Annapolis in 2013 for the Super Regional knockout round of the Varsity Cup National Championships at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Bears faced Notre Dame in the quarterfinals and emerged with a 77-0 shutout of the Irish to advance to the semifinals.
 
This weekend will be the first time in five years that Cal and Navy meet for a 15-a-side contest. The two programs have a long history of postseason matchups having met 14 times in elimination rounds since the origin of the national collegiate championships in 1980. The Bears and the Midshipmen met in the 1994 national championship finals set in the nation's capital, where Cal won 27-13 to take the title. Cal and Navy last contested in the 2018 national quarterfinals hosted at Witter Rugby Field. The Bears scored six tries to secure a 33-27 victory over the Midshipmen and advance to the semifinals.
 
Cal remains undefeated in spring XVs action, sporting a 10-0 overall record to lead the D1A PAC Conference. The Bears are coming off a 31-14 win over defending national champion Army West Point last weekend. Freshmen Max Threlkeld and Oliver Newall added their names to the scoreline with tries, with Newall logging a brace in his first major start for the Blue & Gold. Cal Liebowitz carried a score in from a maul and Caleb Tomasin added another from a tap-and-go, while senior co-captain Max Schumacher logged three successful conversions to rout the Bears to victory.
 
Navy (12-0, 9-0 Rugby East) also holds an unbeaten record in XVs action and has won the D1A Rugby East Conference. The Midshipmen played the majority of their XVs season last fall, taking notable wins over fellow service academies Army and Air Force. Navy emerged victorious over Army with a 27-14 final score on their home turf and shutout Air Force 71-0 on the road. The Midshipmen opened their spring campaign last weekend when they won a matchup with Western Ontario 39-0. Navy currently sits at the top of the D1A national rankings for the first time in the program's 59-year history. 
 
This weekend, the Bears will be forced to leave some key players in Berkeley. Co-captain Nathan Zylstra remains out due to injury alongside center Will Shankland and wing Max Clark. The Bears will also go without lock Mats Dodd and flyhalf Nate Salter, who both started against the Black Knights last weekend.
 
Cal will be led by Schumacher and fellow senior No. 8 Alex Aguero, who have both been important players for the Bears this season. With Zylstra and Dodd out of the player pool, Luke Freeman will be the only fifth-year on the pitch. Freeman will play the starting No. 6 position which he has held five times this season.
 
Six underclassmen will feature in the Bears' starting lineup. Four freshmen – Cade Crist, Rand Santos, Threlkeld and Newall – will retain starting positions after last week's contest with Army, while sophomores Kealan O'Connell and Ryan Marshall will get the call-up to the first 15.
 
"The team is prepared and focused, this is another opportunity to take a step forward," Schumacher said. 
 
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