BERKELEY, Calif.—Central Washington men's rugby saw its season come to end on Saturday as the Wildcats suffered a 43-26 loss at the hands of No. 1 Cal in the quarterfinals of the D1A National Championships.
 
The Wildcats started strong and finished strong, but in between the game was filled with missed opportunities and critical mistakes for Central.
 
"It was a tough day for us, as we had plenty of opportunities against a great side," CWU head coach Todd Thornley said. "We had a tough first half, but we showed some fight in the second which is a credit to our crew. Lastly, I cannot thank our four graduates and what they have done for our program and myself personally. They are great humans and have great opportunities ahead of themselves. We now need to continue to evolve and move forward."
 
Tiai Vavao opened the scoring for Central, crossing the try line just over five minutes into the match. But the 5-0 lead didn't last long.
 
Cal came right back and took a 7-5 lead with a try and conversion less than five minutes later. Another try and conversion gave the Bears a 14-5 lead in the 18^th minute.
 
The lead swelled to 21-5 in the 31^st minute, and the Bears added two more trys before halftime for a 33-5 advantage at the break.
 
Central was able to slow the Bears somewhat in the second half, but not enough to get back in the match. In the 50^th minute, Cal scored a try to make it a 38-5 game. But Central fought back.
 
Jack Tregoning used back-to-back grubber kicks to feed Drew Farrington for a try and conversion in the 60^th minute, and Oscar Treacy plowed his way across the try line in the 69^th minute. Tregoning's conversions were good on each try and 'Cats got to within 38-19. But that was a close as Central could make it.
 
Cal tacked on a try in the 72^nd minute, and Treacy responded with his second try in the 76^th minute for the final margin.
 
With 15s season having concluded, the Wildcats next turn their attention to the USA Rugby College 7s National Championships, May 14-15 in Kennesaw, Ga.