October 26, 2026​

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San Diego, CA — Arizona Rugby traveled to San Diego on Saturday for a doubleheader against San Diego State University, marking the Wildcats’ first true road test of the season. 

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The Wildcats wasted little time establishing control in the opening match. Capitalizing on an SDSU penalty following the opening kickoff, Arizona turned to its maul, with Logan Shea crossing the line for the opening try. Lance Barker added the conversion to give the Wildcats an early 7–0 lead.

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The Arizona attack found another gear through the individual brilliance of second-year wing Ethan Heim. Five minutes after the opening score, Saxon Gerstl helped put Heim through the SDSU defensive line for his first try before crossing again just seven minutes later. Barker converted both scores, helping Arizona build a commanding 21–3 advantage less than 15 minutes into the contest.

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San Diego native Aiden Kemp added to the Wildcats’ momentum with a line break of his own, extending the lead to 28–3. Arizona continued to find opportunities in the attacking third, with PJ Enegren chasing down a well-placed kick to score before halftime and send the Wildcats into the break with a 35–10 advantage.

 

Arizona’s second-half performance was marked by continued defensive pressure and an ability to turn possession over into points. Heim completed his strong outing with another score, while fellow wing Jake Schumacher also found the try line as the Wildcats continued to stretch the SDSU defense.

 

The defense provided an exclamation point late in the contest when Jackson Kutcher intercepted a pass and raced the length of the field for his first try of the season. Tom Manning added a late score to round out the afternoon, sealing a 57–17 victory for Arizona.

Following the match, Director of Rugby Sean Duffy praised both the team’s performance and the contributions of several players continuing to earn opportunities within the

program. "Overall a great day for both of our sides against a well-coached, physical SDSU group. We are thankful to them for hosting us and the great matches today. Some new faces in the mix and I'm thrilled to see guys like Braedon Butte and PJ Enegren get quality minutes and really contribute. Jonny Rix is another who's been working hard in the 2s and is starting to break through at scrum half. But the overall composure of guys like Saxon Gerstl really helped put us into great attacking platforms, and we were able to convert a lot of those into points. Work to be done, but we're happy with the steps forward that everyone took this week," said Duffy.

 

The Arizona second XV continued its impressive start to the season, shutting out SDSU 89–0 to preserve its undefeated record. The result capped a successful road trip for the Wildcats, with both squads delivering strong performances against a physical opponent.

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Arizona will have a bye this week before returning to action on November 7 against Lindenwood at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado.

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Arizona 57-15 SDSU

Tries: Heim (3), Shea, Ai. Kemp, P. Enegren, Schumacher, Kutcher, Manning

Conversions: Barker- 6/9

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Arizona 2nd XV 89-0 SDSU 2nd XV

Tries: Wood (5), Postin (2), Ryan, Tosh, Jacoby, Spanghero, Megret-Gong, Jansen van Vuuren

Conversion: Jansen van Vuuren- 12/13

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