Cal Rugby: Bears Open 2020 With Two Big Wins
The Cal rugby team began 2020 with a pair of convincing wins at the Dennis Storer Classic at UCLA on Saturday.
The Bears defeated U Santa Cruz 48-3, and knocked off UC San Diego 59-7.
Cal's final match of the event will take place on Sunday, when the Bears take on host UCLA at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.
Forty Cal players received playing time on Saturday, while starters played only sparingly.
All 13 freshmen saw action in the debut of Bears 15s squad.
"We tried to do what the coaches were asking of us: play fast, be physical, and support each other on the field," said freshman Michael Puckett. "It was a learning experience today, but everyone came together in the end."
"A lot of the freshmen stepped up and it was good for everyone to get a chance to play today," said Cal freshman Nate Salter. "There are things for us to work on, but for tomorrow, our main goal is to improve upon where we ended today and take it a step further."
Fourteen players scored Cal’s 17 tries, and the Bears were 11-for-17 on conversions and missed just two in the match against UC San Diego.
With one match left in the tournament, Cal will likely start a near completely different lineup in the final game.
Cal's final match of the Dennis Storer Classic will take place on Sunday, January 19 at 1:30 p.m when the Bears take on host, UCLA at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.
Scoring Timelines:
Cal 48, UC Santa Cruz 3
01:00 Nathan Zylstra 5
05:00 Jason Severance 5
09:00 Jake Broekhuizen 5, Max Schumacher 2
13:00 Nick Bloom 5, Max Schumacher 2
19:00 Nate Salter 5
Halftime Score: Cal 29, UC Santa Cruz 0
21:00 Nate Salter 5
28:00 Cal Liebowitz 5, Jack Gallagher 2
36:00 UC Santa Cruz 3
40:00 Nick Leusing 5, Nate Salter 2
Cal 59, UC San Diego 7
01:00 Garrett Kay 5, Ken Kurihara 2
05:00 UC San Diego 5, 2
10:00 Jack Weigold 5, Ken Kurihara 2
11:00 Jake Broekhuizen 5, Ken Kurihara 2
13:00 Luke Freeman 5, Ken Kurihara 2
Halftime Score: Cal 28, UC San Diego 7
23:00 Gavin Janis 5, 2
30:00 Luke Freeman 5
35:00 Michael Perrone 5
38:00 Gavin Janis 5, Jack Casey 2
40:00 Matthew Dodd 5, Jack Casey 2