The USD Toreros ripped through some of the toughest competition in the country over a two-day competition at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.

With some of the best teams west of the mighty Mississippi entered in the tournament, USD had high hopes for the weekend with pool matches against San Diego State, University of Southern California, UC Berkeley and University Texas- El Paso. The Toreros ended pool play 3-1, dropping a tough contest against the Cal Bears but claiming shutout wins against SDSU, USC, and UTEP.

A challenging semifinal awaited USD, however, as they squared off against the UC Los Angeles Bruins, a club the Toreros have never bested in their 40+ year history. A back and forth match saw the two teams locked at 7-7 in a game dominated by staunch defense where tries were at a premium. In extra time, the Bruins committed a yellow card offense which gave the Toreros a man advantage with just moments left. Crisp passing through the backline saw Daniel Suhr feed Jackson Short mere meters from a monumental win but a valiant cover tackle by UCLA held Jackson just short. Fighting through the engagement, Short was able to skillfully offload to a streaking Suhr who leapt into the try zone and sealed USD’s dramatic, historic victory over UCLA 12-7.

The day was not yet won, however, as the Toreros now had a rematch against the heavily favored Golden Bears of Berkeley in the tournament grand final. After receiving the opening kick, USD opened the match with some excellent phase play but failed to come away with any points as a punishing Cal defense held them in check. Cal got on the board in the fourth minute off a scrum but missed the conversion, giving them a 5-0 lead. A high tackle by the Bears saw the attacking Toreros get a man advantage and Vaughn Fouts made a second effort at the try line to dot the ball down for USD. Lucas Troughear slotted the kick to give USD a 7-5 lead at the half.

Cal threatened early in second half but Caleb Tomasin held up a Bear to deny Cal a try off the restart. The #1 ranked team would not be denied, however, scoring two quick tries to see them jump out to a 19-7 lead with three minutes to play. The Toreros were not done though, as Josh Butler got the ball wide, bumped a Bear, and raced under the posts for a try, which set up Troughear for an easy conversion. With the score now 19-14, the Toreros got aggressive, eager to steal the ball back and put one over at the death to topple UC Berkeley. The Golden Bears, however, found a gap and scored the weekend’s final try, sealing the game at 26-14.

This was the Toreros highest ever finish at the prestigious West Coast 7s and while they did not take home the cup, they certainly put the country on notice with their physicality, skill, and determination. The USD 7s team will now take a rest until the Collegiate Rugby Association of America (CRAA) National Championship Tournament in May 2025 but there will be plenty more Torero rugby ahead as they gear up for their league season which starts Saturday February 1st against Fresno State at home.

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USD Takes Second at West Coast Sevens