Gaels Stay Perfect in Provo, Dominate Second Half in Win

By AJ Clement

Provo, Utah —The Saint Mary's Gaels (11-0-0) traveled into hostile territory Saturday afternoon to face the BYU Cougars (8-3-0), coming back from an early deficit before pulling away in dominant fashion to remain unbeaten on the season.

The match opened with immediate pressure from BYU. Just six minutes in, the Cougars capitalized on a Saint Mary's penalty, punching in a try from close range to take a 7-0 lead after the conversion. The early score set the tone for a physical first half, with both sides trading momentum through set pieces and defensive stands.

The Gaels responded in the 22nd minute behind a composed scrum sequence. Saia Pongi broke through for a try that evened the score, and a successful conversion from Oli Cline leveled the score at 7-7. Building on that momentum, the Gaels struck again in the 30th minute. Iosefa Toia'ivao capped off a fluid phase of play, slipping past defenders with a sharp juke before grounding the ball. BYU refused to fade. In the 35th minute, the Cougars answered with a try off a penalty lineout, though a missed conversion kept Saint Mary's narrowly ahead at 14-12. The Gaels closed the half with pace and precision. Just before the break, Siale Ofa broke free down the wing, outrunning the defense for a try that pushed the lead to 19-12, at the half. 

The second half, however, belonged entirely to the Gaels. Momentum briefly swung in the 44th minute when a Gaels try was called back due to a penalty. Rather than letting the reversal slow them down, Saint Mary's doubled down on their attacking intensity. Ofa struck again in the 54th minute, showcasing his speed on the edge to extend the lead to 26-12. From there, the Gaels began to break the game open. In the 61st minute, Dom Besag delivered one of the standout moments of the match, breaking free for a 30-meter run that ended in a try and widened the gap to 33-12. Just three minutes later, Toiaivao added his second try of the day, continuing the offensive surge and pushing the score to 40-12. In the 77th minute, Saint Mary's sealed the performance with a powerful maul try, a fitting end to a match defined by both finesse and forward dominance. The final whistle confirmed a commanding 45-12 victory.

Up Next

The Gaels are back in Moraga to face the undefeated Cal Bears in their much anticipated final conference matchup of the 2025-26 regular season.