SANTA CLARA, Calif. – California rugby moves to 4-0 following its 91-0 shutout at Santa Clara on Wednesday night under the lights at Bellomy Field. The Golden Bears scored 15 tries by 10 different players and kept a clean sheet over the Broncos in Cal's fourth-straight road game to open the 2024 season.
 
The contest was off to a slow start with 16 minutes passing before either team lit up the scoreboard. The Broncos played physically from the start, but Cal struck first with Michael Freeman touching down in the tryzone to give the Bears an advantage they would never relinquish.  
 
Quinn Spieker and Emmett Cook were next to find gaps in the Broncos' defense and run scores in for Cal. Michál de Beer then stepped his way in followed by a second try by Freeman a few minutes later to put Cal up by five scores. Cormac Saint, who captained the match, added a pair of conversion kicks to make it 29-0 in favor of the Bears at the intermission.
 
After the break, Cal hit its stride in the attack with Roan O'Connell running a ball into the tryzone within the first minute of the second half. It was the first of 10 tries Cal would put up in the final 40 minutes.
 
Nate Comiskey showcased his speed with a hat trick, while O'Connell logged a second try and David Hause scored a brace of tries. Jayden Flores muscled his way in for a try early in the second half to claim the lone score from Cal's forward pack.
 
Tyler Lenk contributed a couple of assists before touching down a try of his own and Saint had the last word, dotting down between the posts as the 80 minutes expired. He added two more conversions and Jackson Launey went 4-for-7 on the extras to lift Cal to victory.

"That Santa Clara team punched above their weight tonight," Cal head coach Jack Clark said. "They had the run of play for the first quarter of the match. They got around us several times and went through us a couple times. In the end, it got away from them, but Santa Clara displayed a lot of character throughout the match. Our boys were really good at times, but we had a lot of turnovers and gave away too many penalties."
 
UP NEXT
Cal will host its home opener this Saturday when UC Santa Barbara visits Strawberry Canyon. The gates at Witter Rugby Field will open at 12 p.m. PST, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance here and fans unable to attend in person can watch the live stream.
 
Scoring Timeline:
Cal at Santa Clara
16:00 – Michael Freeman
20:00 – Quinn Spieker
29:00 – Emmett Cook, Cormac Saint 2
34:00 – Michál de Beer, Cormac Saint 2
39:00 – Michael Freeman
Half: Cal 29, Santa Clara 0
41:00 – Roan O'Connell, Cormac Saint 2
42:00 – Nate Comiskey, Cormac Saint 2
51:00 – Jayden Flores
57:00 – David Hause, Jackson Launey 2
60:00 – Nate Comiskey
62:00 – Nate Comiskey
72:00 – Tyler Lenk, Jackson Launey 2
74:00 – Roan O'Connell, Jackson Launey 2
77:00 – David Hause, Jackson Launey 2  
79:00 – Cormac Saint
Final: 91-0
 
Starting XV:
1. J.P. Vinter 2. Lance Hackett 3. Bryan Bogne 4. Miles Malone 5. Byron Finley 6. Talae Tuimaunei 7. Jafer Snipes 8. Tommy Rainsford 9. Cormac Saint 10. Oliver Newall 11. Quinn Spieker 12. Michál de Beer 13. Emmett Cook 14. Roan O'Connell 15. Michael Freeman
 
STAY POSTED 
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby).