BERKELEY – California rugby's explosive attack, led by Max Threlkeld's hat trick, and stout defensive performance lifted the Golden Bears to a triumphant 49-24 World Cup victory over University of British Columbia Sunday afternoon in Strawberry Canyon. In the 100th year of the series, Cal tallied up its points by way of seven tries and a pair of penalty kick conversions, while the Bears' defense held the Thunderbirds to four tries and stopped a few more in the red zone to clinch the win.
 
"Real cross-border rugby today, lots of commitment from both teams," Cal head coach Jack Clark said. "Charlie Walsh's team certainly fronted to the challenge. We are appreciative to have the Thunderbirds on campus and wish them the best going forward."
 
The first half was tightly contested between the two teams, with Cal putting points on the scoreboard first from a penalty kick by Rand Santos seven minutes into play. It only took three minutes for Santos to add to the scoresheet again, this time a try that he carried in a few phases after an attacking lineout.
 
UBC put up back-to-back tries at minutes 16 and 30, one by its inside center Talon McMillan - who has been capped five times by the Canadian national team - and the other a pick-and-jam at the goal-line, to get a 12-8 lead over the Bears. Hugo Schreuder answered with a pick-and-go of his own and Santos converted the try to retake the advantage, one that Cal would not relinquish for the rest of the match. With only two minutes left in the first period, the Bears worked their way back into Thunderbird territory and saw Solomon Williams dive on a chipped-forward ball to tap down the final try of the half with Cal holding a 20-12 lead.
 
The Bears' attack came out of the intermission firing on all cylinders, with Threlkeld leaping into the corner of the tryzone for his first of three scores within seven minutes. Santos added the extras. After the restart, Cal recovered the ball and the backs were quick to carry it into scoring territory, moving it through hands and into the arms of Threlkeld to walk in another try, which was converted by Santos. Santos opted for more points off his boot with another penalty kick just minutes later.
 
Cal continued to be strong on the restart, with Joe Kirsten recovering the ball and carrying it to the T-Birds' 22-meter line before offloading to Threlkeld in support, who was unopposed as he dotted down his third and final score of the afternoon.
 
UBC was back on the attack and worked its way into Bear territory, but Cal's defense was sturdy and held up a try on the goal-line to deny the Thunderbirds a score. UBC put together a few more phases near the try-line, eventually sending it out to a back to touch down a score in the left corner.
 
It was an aggressive back-and-forth affair for the next 15 minutes with each team threatening the others' tryzone. The Thunderbirds relied on their forwards to grind out a few goal-line picks and push in a try at the 73rd minute. Cal had the last word of the contest, with Oliver Kirk muscling in a try between the posts from the front row, which Santos converted, to seal the Bears' victory.
 
Cal will now turn its focus to a road contest at the U.S. Naval Academy Saturday in Annapolis, Md. Kickoff between the Bears and the Midshipmen is slated for Noon ET.
 
Scoring Timeline:
Cal vs. UBC
7:00 – Rand Santos 3
10:00 – Rand Santos 5
16:00 – UBC 5, UBC 2
30:00 – UBC 5
33:00 – Hugo Schreuder 5, Rand Santos 2
38:00 – Solomon Williams 5
Half: Cal 20, UBC 12
44:00 – Max Threlkeld 5
47:00 – Max Threlkeld 5, Rand Santos 2
49:00 – Rand Santos 3
50:00 – Max Threlkeld 5, Rand Santos 2
58:00 – UBC 5
73:00 – UBC 5, UBC 2
78:00 – Oliver Kirk 5, Rand Santos 2
Final: Cal 49, UBC 24
 
Starting XV:
1. Tom Dixon 2. Cade Crist 3. Charlie Walsh 4. Hugo Schreuder 5. Seamus Deely 6. Jon Puckett 7. Bryan Bogne 8. Ieremia Ieremia 9. Solomon Williams 10. Rand Santos 11. Emmett Cook 12. Michál de Beer 13. Max Threlkeld 14. Joe Kirsten 15. Oliver Newall
 
Substitutions:
Masi Koi (15:00), Oliver Teague (57:00), Oliver Kirk (63:00), Kealan O'Connell (67:00), Talan Jones (72:00), Dom Paga (78:00), Mack Fell (78:00)

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