California Golden Bears Athletics
Saturday, April 19
Berkeley, CA
1 p.m.
California
vs
Saint Mary's
Bears, Gaels to compete for spot in title match.
Photo by: Zach Franzen
Cal Set For Semifinal Clash With Saint Mary’s
4/18/2025 9:00 AM | Rugby
Bears, Gaels Vie For Spot In Title Match
BERKELEY – The West Region No. 1 California rugby team will clash with No. 2 Saint Mary's in the 2025 D1A National Collegiate Championship semifinals Saturday at Witter Rugby Field. The Golden Bears and Gaels will kick off at 1 p.m. PT, with the gates in Strawberry Canyon set to open at noon for fan entry.
Cal has had a dominant postseason run thus far, defeating No. 8 Colorado State, 76-7, in the first round on April 5 before claiming a 74-45 victory over the No. 5 Arizona Wildcats last weekend in Berkeley. Twenty-five student-athletes from all class levels have gotten first-15 callups between the two single-elimination postseason contests, with seven more earning playing time as reserves.
Saint Mary's narrowly defeated its first round and quarterfinal opponents to clinch a spot in the semifinals. The Gaels defeated No. 7 UCLA, 24-17, on April 5 before picking up a 53-48 victory over No. 3 Central Washington last weekend. During the regular season, the Gaels collected wins over No. 5 Arizona (12-10), No. 6 Brigham Young (38-21) and Central Washington (33-13). Saint Mary's fell to Cal (48-45), the Bruins (24-14) and East Region top seed, Life, at the CRAA Fall Classic last December.
Saint Mary's will make its second trip of the season to Witter Rugby Field this weekend after falling to the Bears in a regular season contest on March 22. It was a high-scoring, tightly contested match that featured nine lead changes and saw the Bears put up eight tries to the Gaels' seven, led by Cal's Max Threlkeld logging a hat trick.
Cal is likely to make more rotations to its lineup this weekend to field a similar squad that faced the Gaels four weeks ago. Senior captain Charlie Walsh's front row is likely to go unchanged, while seniors Hugo Schreuder and Dom Paga are expected to rejoin the forward pack for the first time this postseason.
In the backs, Threlkeld is anticipated to make his postseason debut at outside center, paired with inside center Filip Edstrom, who broke into the Bears' first-15 as a freshman this spring.
Connecting the two units is likely to be standout halfback duo, Solomon Williams and Rand Santos, who featured in the first half of the Bears' quarterfinal contest last weekend.
Tickets for the match are officially sold out. For fans unable to attend in-person, the contest will be aired live on USA Rugby's broadcast partner, The Rugby Network, as opposed to Cal's usual ESPN+ platform. Viewers must purchase the CRAA Ticket+ subscription to watch the match live.
Fans in Berkeley should note the annual Cal Day festivities that will be taking place on campus concurrently with the rugby match. For more information on parking options, visit this link. Please be aware of road closures from approximately 7 a.m. through 10:30 a.m. for southbound traffic on Hearst Ave and Gayley Rd. and northbound traffic on Piedmont Ave and Bancroft Way. Spectators visiting Witter Rugby Field can access the facility from the east via Centennial Dr. and the south via Prospect St.
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, please follow the Bears on X/Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby).
Cal has had a dominant postseason run thus far, defeating No. 8 Colorado State, 76-7, in the first round on April 5 before claiming a 74-45 victory over the No. 5 Arizona Wildcats last weekend in Berkeley. Twenty-five student-athletes from all class levels have gotten first-15 callups between the two single-elimination postseason contests, with seven more earning playing time as reserves.
Saint Mary's narrowly defeated its first round and quarterfinal opponents to clinch a spot in the semifinals. The Gaels defeated No. 7 UCLA, 24-17, on April 5 before picking up a 53-48 victory over No. 3 Central Washington last weekend. During the regular season, the Gaels collected wins over No. 5 Arizona (12-10), No. 6 Brigham Young (38-21) and Central Washington (33-13). Saint Mary's fell to Cal (48-45), the Bruins (24-14) and East Region top seed, Life, at the CRAA Fall Classic last December.
Saint Mary's will make its second trip of the season to Witter Rugby Field this weekend after falling to the Bears in a regular season contest on March 22. It was a high-scoring, tightly contested match that featured nine lead changes and saw the Bears put up eight tries to the Gaels' seven, led by Cal's Max Threlkeld logging a hat trick.
Cal is likely to make more rotations to its lineup this weekend to field a similar squad that faced the Gaels four weeks ago. Senior captain Charlie Walsh's front row is likely to go unchanged, while seniors Hugo Schreuder and Dom Paga are expected to rejoin the forward pack for the first time this postseason.
In the backs, Threlkeld is anticipated to make his postseason debut at outside center, paired with inside center Filip Edstrom, who broke into the Bears' first-15 as a freshman this spring.
Connecting the two units is likely to be standout halfback duo, Solomon Williams and Rand Santos, who featured in the first half of the Bears' quarterfinal contest last weekend.
Tickets for the match are officially sold out. For fans unable to attend in-person, the contest will be aired live on USA Rugby's broadcast partner, The Rugby Network, as opposed to Cal's usual ESPN+ platform. Viewers must purchase the CRAA Ticket+ subscription to watch the match live.
Fans in Berkeley should note the annual Cal Day festivities that will be taking place on campus concurrently with the rugby match. For more information on parking options, visit this link. Please be aware of road closures from approximately 7 a.m. through 10:30 a.m. for southbound traffic on Hearst Ave and Gayley Rd. and northbound traffic on Piedmont Ave and Bancroft Way. Spectators visiting Witter Rugby Field can access the facility from the east via Centennial Dr. and the south via Prospect St.
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, please follow the Bears on X/Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby).
Players Mentioned
Flyhalf/Center
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Flanker
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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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