SAN LUIS OBISPO, California– The Trinity Western Spartans opened up their California tour with a 44-36 loss to the Cal Poly Mustangs Saturday afternoon at the Cal Poly Sports Complex in San Luis Obispo, California.
 
Scoring for the Spartans: fourth-year scrum half Brady Howlett (Maple Ridge, B.C.) with two tries, fifth-year prop Ethan Jurgeneit (Bracebridge, Ont.), third-year hooker Liam Olafsen Abbotsford, B.C.), fifth-year prop Ben Graci (Edmonton, Alta.), and second-year centre (Langley, B.C.) with five points each. Fifth-year fullback Matthew Willemse (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa) had three converts made for six points.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans will finish their tour of California when they will take on UC Santa Cruz on Tuesday at 5 p.m. (PT) at the UCSC East Lower Field in Santa Cruz, Calf.
 
QUOTABLE
Andrew Evans, TWU Head Coach
" First, happy Valentine's Day to my wife, whose unwavering support of our rugby program and the mission of TWU means more than I can say."
"Today's match in California was a true battle and a fantastic contest for everyone in attendance. In the first half, we executed our game plan well, with tries from Ethan, Liam, Brady (2), and Ben. We stayed composed and carried a strong lead into halftime."
"We knew the Mustangs would come out energized in the second half—and they did. Penalties hurt us throughout the half, and a yellow card proved especially costly. During that stretch, Cal Poly capitalized and put up 19 points, quickly shifting the momentum."
"In the 65th minute, Kael crossed for an excellent try to regain a four-point lead. Unfortunately, we struggled to maintain territory in Cal Poly's end, and they were clinical inside our 22, scoring two more tries to close out the game."
"Moving forward, we'll focus on stronger game management and sustaining pressure against quality teams like Cal Poly. I'm proud of our men for the way they competed today. Their toughness, determination, and heart were on full display. This is a special group of young men, and I'm grateful to coach them."
 
SCORING SUMMARY
3' – TWU Try – Ethan Jurgeneit (missed convert) 5-0 TWU
8' – TWU Try – Liam Olafsen (missed convert) 10- TWU
15' – CP Try – 10-5 TWU
22' – TWU Try – Brady Howlett (Matt Willemse convert made) – 17-5 TWU
25' – CP PK – 17-8 TWU
37' – CP Try – 17-13 TWU
39' – TWU Try – Brady Howlett (Matt Willemse convert made) – 24-13 TWU
40' – TWU Try – Ben Graci (Matt Willemse convert made) – 31-13 TWU
HALF
51' – CP Try – 31-20 TWU
56' – CP Try – 31-27 TWU
61' – CP Try – 32-31 CP
63' – TWU Try – Kael Simpson (missed convert) – 36-32 TWU
69' – CP Try – 37-36 CP
77' – CP Try – 44-36 CP
 
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as in the NAIA in track and field and cross country and as an independent team in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 33 Canada West team championships.

About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in U SPORTS. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.  
 
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