The Cal Poly Mustangs have fallen to a strong St Mary’s side in Moraga this afternoon 69 – 3. After a competitive opening stand St Mary’s opened up with good control at the set piece and some quality finishing out wide.
The Mustangs struggled to get into the match, which saw the territory and possession stats all sway the way of the Gaels. A solid St Mary’s defensive scrum made life hard for the Poly backline, as they were never able to get any front foot ball. “You’re always going to have a tough day at the office if you don’t secure clean ball for yourself at the set piece.” Coach Burnett said after the match.
The physical match also saw a few key Poly players exit the game early. Fullback Landis Nasser and second rower Bobby McNeal both left the field at the half with injuries to their mid section. The match also saw starting winger Cody Perez have to withdrawal just before kick off, due to an ankle injury he sustained earlier in the week. Flanker Joe Saldana made the transition to wing to cover for Perez.
Although disappointed with the match coach Burnett stressed to his players the importance of learning from their mistakes today and moving on. “Losses like these are tough and you certainly learn from them but it’s important not to dwell on the negatives for too long”.
Cal Poly now has a few weeks off with final quarter exams and spring break before their next Division 1A match against UC Davis in early April.