It's Cal vs Life for the D1A Final
It's Cal vs Life for the D1A Final
Life University and Cal both impressed as they won D1A semifinals Saturday to set up a repeat of the championship matchups from 2018 and 2019.
Cal and Saint Mary’s saw almost 100 points scored between them the last time they played. This time it was different. Cal took the lead 12 minutes in, capping off a long period knocking on the door with lock Huge Schreuder picking up and stretching over.
Saint Mary’s answered with a penalty goal from Ollie Cline. But Cal came back, punishing a penalty and working a maul off the lineout. Saint Mary’s stopped the drive but scrumhalf Solomon Williams ran a switch move with wing Joe Karsten, and Karsten raced through the gap Williams had created. Now it was 14-3.
Saint Mary’s capitalized on a Cal error to get into the Bears’ 22, and after a couple of big forward carries the ball was sent to Dom Besag, who shouldered his way over.
That closed the gap, but not for long.
A superb catch-pass from Schreuder put Masi Koi down the sideline to make it 19-8, and center Filip Edstrom slammed over the difficult conversion to make it 21-8.
That’s how the first half ended. Saint Mary’s had threatened to score before the break and clearly needed to score right after the break, but it was Cal that did the scoring. A lineout-and-maul was followed by a couple of carries to the line before flyhalf Rand Santos saw a gap and was through.
Saint Mary’s was just not seeing the ball, and found themselves backed up into their 22. Backed up against they had to defend the scrum, but Cal sent the ball easily out to the wing and Koi was in at the corner.
Going out wide after a maul worked for Saint Mary’s, too. They got a penalty, ran the maul, and with a penalty advantage the ball was sent to fullback Mario Storti for a crucial try. Cline converted and it was 33-15.
Williams then scored off a long range run highlighted by a brilliant sidestep and dummy to beat Storti and go in at the corner. That made it a four-score game at 38-15.
Saint Mary’s needed to score quickly, and frequently. They needed to get the ball to Siale Ofa, and when they did, quick hands gave him the slimmest of chances, which he took.
Cal stifled Saint Mary’s, however, and kept making sure it was a long way to paydirt for the Gaels. With time essentially up they ran out of their 22. Storti and then Ofa made ground before an audacious inside ball to No. 8 King Matu saw him lumber 48 of the 50 meters he needed. He was tackled high, and the Gaels scored on a quick tap.
But that was it; 38-27. Cal did superbly to take a very close game and put scoreboard pressure on Saint Mary’s. The Bears, now, return to the D1A final for the second time in three years. Cal made the first D1A final, in 2011, and won that over BYU. However, they didn’t make another until 2018, partly because they opted to run a different playoff for a few years.
When they returned to the D1A postseason, Cal made the final in 2018, losing to Life by a wide margin, and in 2019, when they lost to Life in a nailbiter. The 2023 final was also a nailbiter.
So we return to the 2018 and 2019 finalists, this time in Indianapolis, with both teams riding the #1 seed from their side of the bracket to the championship game.
Earlier in the day, Life University booked its place in the D1A final after an emphatic victory over Lindenwood in today’s semifinals.
The two teams were tied 7-7 past the first quarter. Life took an early lead with a move off a scrum in Lindenwood’s 22, with scrumhalf Bautista Araujo scampering over. Bradley Cran converted.
Lindewood respoded with some tough defense and, just past the midway point of the first half they jarred the ball loose and wing David Cathcart scooped it up and took off down the sideline to even the score.
It remained close, into halftime.
But in the second half Life started to take control. Good hands down the line put wing Jordan Vassel in at the corner.
And then a brilliant kick downfield eventually led to a Life lineout, which they mauled over. Lindenwood now was chasing the game a bit at 19-7 and the connections they needed to make didn’t happen. Life’s defense was very good but Lindenwood didn’t help themselves, and struggled to establish residency in Life’s half.
The forwards bashed it over to made it 26-y, and one more made it 31-7.
That was it—Life’s ability to control territory saw them through and the Running Eagles return to the final for the first time since their 2019 championship.
