Gaels On A Mission To Reclaim D1A Title
Only two years ago, the Saint Mary’s Gaels took home the D1A title, and this season it is hard to deny that the team may find themselves in the very same position.
In the past six seasons, the Gaels (3) have faced Life University (1) five times in the finals taking home three national championship titles. After last year’s loss in the quarterfinals against Lindenwood University, Saint Mary’s is looking to reclaim the number one spot at the end of this season.
So far the Gaels have proven to be a dominant force yet again. In D1A regular season matchplay, the Gaels are 8–0. However work is still to come as the team heads to Utah to face a strong BYU (6) side for the second time this season. Later, the team will travel to Cal Poly and then onto Annapolis, Maryland the following week to take on Navy (4) who most recently moved up in the rankings after defeating Arkansas State (5) with a last minute try.
After returning from the East Coast, a classic rivalry will take place in Berkeley as the Gaels take on Cal at Witter Rugby Field on March 30.
The end of the season is sure to be wild, but the Gaels look ready to handle whatever is thrown their way.
The poise of the forward pack at the set piece and efficiency of the backline is crucial to the Gael’s success.
Junior loose-head prop, Payton Telea is a menace in the scrum and a force in the open field. Telea puts on a performance every time the ball finds its way into his hands breaking as many tackles on offense as he makes on defense, if not more. His ability to fend off defenders with his powerful runs has helped him rack up 5 tries in 6 games this season.
As a freshman, Telea started in the 2017 national championship and is surely eager to return to the top.
Captain and senior 8-Man, Vili Helu takes his spot at the rear of the scrum. This year marks Helu’s fifth season with the Gaels and he shows no sign of slowing down. His quick breaks off the scrum and sure tackling on defense add an incredible amount of energy to the match and have also helped him rack up seven tries so far this season.
The Gaels backline is equally as impressive. Senior, Aaron Matthews provides versatility excelling under all circumstances at any position while simultaneously setting up his teammates for success. Scottish sophomore, Joe Yacoubian plays with similar traits to Matthews.
Yacoubian’s boot has been on fire so far with 52 successful conversions this season. Combined, Yacoubian and Matthews have scored 162 points this season.
The Gaels will surely make a strong push towards the finals at Santa Clara University in early May.
