Cal Superb in Battle in the Bay
Cal Superb in Battle in the Bay
Cal pounded a very strong Arizona State team to cap off a six-game sweep to win the Battle in the Bay 7s tournament on Treasure Island Sunday.
Cal went 3-0 in pool play on Saturday and did the same Sunday, beating San Diego State, Cal Poly, and Arizona State all, ultimately in very convincing fashion.
"All in all it was a pretty solid performance," said head coach Jack Clark. "I thought we improved as the weekend went along and that's always an objective in 7s tournament rugby."
To win the Battle in the Bay on Sunday, Cal had to beat the Sun Devils for the second time in two days after just getting by ASU in pool play Saturday. After Alec Gletzer's statement-making hustle try in the first minute was answered by two scores from Arizona State, Paul Bosco regained the lead for the Bears in minute eight on another sample of serious effort and the Blue and Gold stayed on a roll with four more tries to seal the final.
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"We just stuck with it," offered captain Jake Anderson, who scored one of his two tries in the tourney final against ASU. "It's a really good sign when you can build on a lead and I'm glad we did that today."
Cal got six tries from six different players in the final and 11 players found the try zone over the course of Sunday's action. The distribution of scoring on day two, led by three tries from Anthony Salaber and 10 conversions from Russell Webb, illustrated a cohesive team effort.
"It's just a great opportunity to play with these teammates," said Salaber.
Added Gletzer, "We worked really hard to get better in every game and our last was the best of the tournament."
Against the Aztecs in the quarterfinal, Salaber started Cal's Sunday as he did the day before, scoring two of the Bears' six tries as the Blue and Gold defense sprang several potent counterattacks.
In the semifinal vs. Cal Poly, the Bears played almost entirely in the Mustangs' side of the pitch for the first 10 minutes, getting five tries from five different players before two late tries by Cal Poly trimmed the final score to 29-12 in Cal's.
In the final, Cal made effective adjustments when the Sun Devils took their short-lived lead and the Bears offered no letup when their replacements came onto the pitch.
"We're getting needed minutes for some of our players," explained coach Clark after the final. "Competition time is a significant part of their development. We've also got a thin crust of really good players who showed up this weekend, four or five guys who were outstanding."
Meanwhile, Arizona State has to look back with some pride at a BIB performance that saw them defeat Central Washington 22-14 in the quarters, backed by their breakaway speed and brave defense. Led by brothers Adam and Alex Sandstrom the Sun Devils followed that up with a defeat of UCLA - the game on a knife edge at 14-12 before ASU stole the ball from the attacking Bruins and scored in the corner to put the game away.
Next up will be the PAC Rugby 7s Championships, hosted by Cal at Witter Rugby Field Saturday and Sunday, November 8-9. ASU and UCLA are expected to be there.
Said Anderson, "We are really excited to be able to host the conference 7s championship on our home pitch. It's going to be a great event."
Cup QFs:
Cal Poly 21 San Diego 12
Arizona State 22 Central Washington 14
UCLA 24 St. Mary's 5
Cal 31 San Diego State 0
Tries: Salaber 2, Battaglia, Dunne, Honens, Webb
Convs: Webb 3
Cup Semis
Arizona State 19 UCLA 12
Cal 29
Tries: Barrientes, Anderson, Boyer, Webb, Thornton
Convs: Webb 2
Cal Poly 12
Tries: Tacket, Mitchell
Convs: Mitchell
Cup Final
Cal 40
Tries: Gletzer, Bosco, Anderson, Salaber, Battaglia, Boyer
Convs: Webb 5
Arizona State 12
Tries: Ondi, Spiwak
Convs: Adam Sandstrom
