In Men’s Rugby Quarter Finals, Gaels Fall to Cal by One Point
Saint Mary’s starts strong but comes up just short. Final score: Gaels 28 – Golden Bears 29.
At the Saint Mary’s home field on April 15, the Gaels took on the University of California in the quarterfinal match in the collegiate rugby playoffs. The Gaels saw their 16-point lead overcome by Cal, and ultimately Saint Mary's came up one point short. The final score was 28–29 Cal.
The rivalry between Saint Mary’s and Cal has become a fierce one over the past decade. On Berkeley’s home field in March, the Gaels bested them 38–34. But the Bears flipped the script this past weekend.
A Tale of Two Halves
In the quarterfinal match on Saturday, the Gaels opened up the game pinning Cal deep in their own half, and the Golden Bears wound up surrendering possession back to the Gaels. SMC appeared to be on the front door, pounding away at the Cal defense—but early mistakes allowed the Bears off the ropes.
Cal attempted to return the favor of pinning the Gaels deep into their end, but a penalty in the maul relieved the pressure. Saint Mary’s then went to work tearing away at the Bears defense before an error allowed the Bears to flip the field once again.
The Gaels built momentum thanks to a well-executed kick from Inoke Waqavesi, which gave the Gaels a line out deep in Cal territory. Waqavesi capitalized on the field position and thanks to footwork scored the first try of the match. That was converted by Joe Yacubian.
On the restart, both teams test each other with kicks in an attempt to gain field advantage. The Gaels stole a lineout that led to a penalty, setting the Gaels up with a lineout inside Cal’s defensive area. But little mistakes made it so the Gaels came away with nothing.
Cal attempted to stretch the field, but the Gael defense held strong against the Bears. The Gaels’ Kaipono Kayoshi shot the passing lines and intercepted a pass. Sosaia Pongi got loose for Saint Mary’s second try on the day. A conversion by Joe Yacoubian gave the Gaels a 14–0 lead.
Upon the restart, the Gaels cleared their lines and got a scrum, thanks to a Cal knock-on. But Cal turned the ball over and scored on a long breakaway.
With just under ten minutes left to play in the first half, Saint Mary’s broke through, thanks to hard running from Erich Storti, which allowed team captain Joe Marchant to extend the Gaels lead 21–5. Cal managed to capitalize on a penalty against the Gaels for their second try, bringing it to 21–12 at the half.
The Gaels opened up the second half receiving the kickoff. Both teams started the second half with mistakes that yielded possession. Cal gained a foothold that put pressure on the Gael defense, and the Bears capitalized with a try to tighten Saint Mary’s lead to 21–19.
Cal kept up its momentum until the Gaels turned the ball over to set up their own attacking platform. The field continued to flip due errors—but neither was able to capitalize on those. One fatal error by the Gaels allowed Cal to gain the lead for the first time of the game, 21–26.
Much of the second half was played within the Gaels defensive zone. Costly errors allowed the Bears to extend their lead, making it 21–29 Cal.
But the Gaels weren’t ready to be written off yet. Iosefa Toia'ivoa received a pass from Erich Storti to bring the Gaels back within one with minutes left to play. But this late surge was not quite enough, and Saint Mary’s came up one point short.
LEARN MORE about SMC Men's Rugby, including their 2023 tour of England and Ireland and 2023 regular-season victory over Cal.