California Golden Bears Athletics
Saturday, March 22
Berkeley, CA
1 p.m.
California
vs
Saint Mary's
Bears, Gaels to play final contest of the regular season in Berkeley.
Photo by: Alex Ho
Cal To Host Saint Mary’s For Regular-Season Finale
3/21/2025 11:57 AM | Rugby
Bears, Gaels To Meet In Berkeley
BERKELEY – California rugby will face off against Saint Mary's for its regular season finale Saturday. The Golden Bears and the Gaels will kick off at 1 p.m. PT at Witter Rugby Field, with fan entry to the facility set to begin at Noon.
Cal (10-1) will host its second consecutive home contest Saturday after capturing a 24-19 win over Army on Homecoming last weekend. The Bears registered four tries by as many players and their defense had a strong showing against the Black Knights in front of a packed crowd in Strawberry Canyon.
Saint Mary's visits Berkeley having faced several common opponents to the Bears this season, with both teams picking up wins over Grand Canyon, UC Santa Cruz and Long Beach State. Saint Mary's defeated BYU 38-21 on March 16, which the Bears also beat 48-17 two weeks ago, and the Gaels edged Arizona 12-10 on Jan. 18, which the Bears shut out 46-0 on Feb. 1. Cal also claimed a 36-7 win over common opponent, UCLA, on Feb. 8, which handed the Gaels a 24-14 loss two weeks ago. Other notable results for the Gaels include a win over Central Washington and a loss to Life at the CRAA Fall Classic last December.
Cal and Saint Mary's met twice last season in Moraga, once in the regular season and in the D1A national collegiate championship quarterfinals. The Bears took a 10-point lead into halftime in their regular-season contest on March 23, 2024, but the Gaels came back in the second half to clinch the 38-31 win. In the national quarterfinal match on April 13, 2024, the Gaels claimed a 34-16 victory to move onto the semifinal round. Saint Mary's then defeated BYU in the semifinals before edging Navy 26-22 in the championship match to claim the 2024 national title.
Cal will look to field a similar lineup from its win over Army last weekend. Senior captain Charlie Walsh is expected to take the field alongside fellow seniors Hugo Schreuder and Tom Dixon, who have been solid contributors to the Bears' forward pack. Also bringing their experience to the backs this weekend will be juniors Max Threlkeld, Rand Santos and Solomon Williams.
A few underclassmen have broken into Cal's first-15 this season, including freshman Oliver Kirk, who is looking to make his third consecutive start in the front row at loosehead prop following a strong performance against the Black Knights. Fellow freshman winger Masi Koi is also hoping to retain his starting lineup position, along with sophomore Emmett Cook who has stepped in at both fullback and wing for the Bears this season.
Tickets for Saturday's contest are officially sold out. Fans unable to attend in person can watch the live stream on ESPN+. A reserve-grade contest between the Bears and the Gaels will be played immediately following the conclusion of the varsity match.
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, please follow the Bears on X/Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby).
Cal (10-1) will host its second consecutive home contest Saturday after capturing a 24-19 win over Army on Homecoming last weekend. The Bears registered four tries by as many players and their defense had a strong showing against the Black Knights in front of a packed crowd in Strawberry Canyon.
Saint Mary's visits Berkeley having faced several common opponents to the Bears this season, with both teams picking up wins over Grand Canyon, UC Santa Cruz and Long Beach State. Saint Mary's defeated BYU 38-21 on March 16, which the Bears also beat 48-17 two weeks ago, and the Gaels edged Arizona 12-10 on Jan. 18, which the Bears shut out 46-0 on Feb. 1. Cal also claimed a 36-7 win over common opponent, UCLA, on Feb. 8, which handed the Gaels a 24-14 loss two weeks ago. Other notable results for the Gaels include a win over Central Washington and a loss to Life at the CRAA Fall Classic last December.
Cal and Saint Mary's met twice last season in Moraga, once in the regular season and in the D1A national collegiate championship quarterfinals. The Bears took a 10-point lead into halftime in their regular-season contest on March 23, 2024, but the Gaels came back in the second half to clinch the 38-31 win. In the national quarterfinal match on April 13, 2024, the Gaels claimed a 34-16 victory to move onto the semifinal round. Saint Mary's then defeated BYU in the semifinals before edging Navy 26-22 in the championship match to claim the 2024 national title.
Cal will look to field a similar lineup from its win over Army last weekend. Senior captain Charlie Walsh is expected to take the field alongside fellow seniors Hugo Schreuder and Tom Dixon, who have been solid contributors to the Bears' forward pack. Also bringing their experience to the backs this weekend will be juniors Max Threlkeld, Rand Santos and Solomon Williams.
A few underclassmen have broken into Cal's first-15 this season, including freshman Oliver Kirk, who is looking to make his third consecutive start in the front row at loosehead prop following a strong performance against the Black Knights. Fellow freshman winger Masi Koi is also hoping to retain his starting lineup position, along with sophomore Emmett Cook who has stepped in at both fullback and wing for the Bears this season.
Tickets for Saturday's contest are officially sold out. Fans unable to attend in person can watch the live stream on ESPN+. A reserve-grade contest between the Bears and the Gaels will be played immediately following the conclusion of the varsity match.
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, please follow the Bears on X/Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby).
Players Mentioned
Fullback/Flyhalf/Center
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Lock
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Front Row
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Back
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Flyhalf/Center/Fullback
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Flanker
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Center
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Prop
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Scrumhalf
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