Gaels Defense Holds Strong in 68-15 Victory Over Arizona

Moraga, California - The Saint Mary's Gaels (6-0-0) delivered an electric performance, defeating the University of Arizona Wildcats (4-2-0) on Saturday at Saint Mary's Stadium. In front of an energized home crowd, the Gaels combined clinical attacking with disciplined defense, handling its toughest test so far.

From the opening whistle, Arizona tested the Gaels early, earning an opening penalty and initial field position inside Saint Mary's territory. The response was immediate. Saint Mary's blocked a clearance kick, forced Arizona deep, and established the territorial advantage that would define the match. The Gaels opened the scoring in the third minute when Dominic Besag powered through off a penalty scrum to make it 7–0. Arizona blocked a Gaels kick at 4 meters just moments later, but an offside penalty gave the Gaels some breathing room. The early surge reflected a focused mindset coming into the match.

"We knew they were going to come after us," Besag said post-match. "Last year was close, so the mentality was to defend our home turf and start fast. Especially with New Zealand coming up, we wanted to set the tone."

Saint Mary's continued to build pressure through the middle third of the field, forcing penalties and turnovers that kept Arizona pinned deep. In the 13th minute, Josef Mokofisi sent Brian McKeon through a gap off broken play to extend the lead to 21–0. Minutes later, Besag intercepted a loose pass and raced 50 meters untouched to the try line, further stretching the margin. In the closing minutes of the half, a Gaels yellow card gave the Wildcats possession in deep, where prop Dalton Slaughter was able to prevent the shutout, ending the half at 49-5 in favor of the Gaels.

Junior Oli Cline shared, "We just wanted to start really fast and do the best that we could do when that first whistle blows to really start hard. And I think we did that really well. We put a really clinical first half performance together and it showed on the scoreboard."

As the Gaels' offence slowed in the second half, they looked to their defense to maintain their dominant lead. Despite a long defensive sequence where the Saint Mary's held up Arizona at the try line, another Gaels booking allowed the Wildcats to score another try, setting the score to 54-10 after 55 minutes. Saint Mary's responded with a Benny Hatch try and a Kieran Tingin try in injury time, closing out the 68-15 victory.

The Gaels' dominance was most evident at the breakdown, where consistent pressure forced errors and denied Arizona sustained possession. Defensively, Saint Mary's was organized and disciplined, repeatedly turning defensive sets into attacking opportunities. Oli Cline credits the Gaels defense for the dominant afternoon.

"I think our defense looked really good today. We look nice and spread out, which is good. Making some really good double shots. The big boys really putting them on their back… We just (have) to watch our discipline and not get so many yellow cards".

Offensively, the Gaels showed balance and depth, scoring through multiple players while maintaining tempo throughout the match. Beyond the scoreboard, the performance served as a statement. Amid external doubts about Saint Mary's national title credentials, the Gaels leaned on internal standards and cohesion.

"The play speaks for itself," Besag said. "People don't always see what goes on behind the scenes. We're working hard together and becoming a family. That's what it takes to win a national championship."

Senior leadership also played a key role in maintaining focus as the scoreline widened, ensuring execution remained sharp across all phases.

"We've got a leadership group that knows what it takes," Besag added. "We're going to do everything we can to get there."

Up Next

Saint Mary's now turns its attention to an international challenge, departing for a multi-match tour of New Zealand in the coming days. 

"I'm really excited to show a lot of the boys around my hometown of Auckland." Cline said. It's been the pinnacle of rugby for a long time. So I think we'll learn a lot and come back and apply them for the rest of our season."

The trip marks the program's first exposure to international competition since its tour of England and Ireland three years ago.

"We're really looking forward to the level of competition," Besag said. "A lot of teams here play a similar style, so going over there pushes us to grow our game. We'll be learning from people who've played the game longer than us, from great coaches and programs—but just as important, it's about bonding and becoming even more of a family."

The New Zealand tour will serve as both a developmental benchmark and a defining stretch as the Gaels prepare for the heart of their season.