BYU

After 80 minutes of intense fighting in Houston, Cal rugby dropped the national championship to Navy, 28-22.

Even though they sometimes flirted with an unceremonious end to the season, especially during the loss-filled month of March, the Bears’ mental strength is one of the greatest foundations that the program can count on to win the title Saturday.

Thanks to a second-half surge, the blue and gold sealed the win over the Cougars 55-31 and advanced to play Navy in the championship game.

The Bears and Cougars will face off for a chance to play in the finals.

Cal took the lead at the 59-minute mark when Kealan O’Connell surprised the Saint Mary’s defense and crossed the whitewash. The lead change would be the first and the last of the game.

The large gap on the score sheet raises questions about the depth of the Cal rugby program and the ability of its substitutes to impact games in the postseason.

The Bears will look to protect home field and their undefeated record at Homecoming this Saturday. 

Saturday’s contest, however, appeared as a shock for many, as Cal only narrowly scraped past BYU at Witter Rugby Field, 24-21.

Last weekend, No. 4 Cal women’s tennis struggled with the follow through in many of its matches and fell in the quarter finals of the national indoor championship.

After a stellar start to the season, No. 4 Cal women's tennis carved itself a path to indoor nationals, beating BYU and Vanderbilt to qualify.