Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Kutztown
No. 6 Army Downs No. 3 Kutztown in Thriller
October 25, 2014 | Men's Rugby
Oct. 25, 2014
WEST POINT, N.Y. - A try from captain Collum Magee in the 76th minute of the game lifted the sixth-ranked Black Knights to a 34-30 upset victory over third-ranked Kutztown in conference play from Anderson Rugby Complex on Saturday afternoon.
Army held the advantage for a majority of the game before Kutztown pounded out 11 unanswered to take the lead. Magee's try and a successful conversion from vice-captain Logan Pearce gave the Black Knights the edge in the waning minutes.
"It's a great day to play rugby against a great team like Kutztown and everyone really came together and it's a great victory for us this year," head coach Mike Mahan said.
Peter Basnight, Jake Lachina, Magee and Pearce all factored in on the scoresheet, handing Kutztown its first loss of the season and lifting the Black Knights to a perfect 6-0.
Basnight opened the scoring in the second minute with a quick try to get things going and putting the Black Knights up 5-0.
Kutztown responded in the 6th and 12th minutes to take the 12-5 lead.
A penalty kick from Pearce in the 16th minute brought the Black Knights within three points of the Golden Bears lead, turning the momentum in favor of the young Army squad.
Plebe Jake Lachina muscled through for a try in the 24th minute, putting the Black Knights back on top 13-12, but Kutztown would respond just three minutes later, regaining the 19-13 advantage.
Magee and Lachina picked up right where they left off to close out a strong first half for Army.
In the 30th minute, Magee's first score of the afternoon brought the team within one, with Pearce succeeding on the conversion to put the Black Knights up 20-19.
Lachina followed the captain's lead, scoring in the 33rd minute, with Pearce adding his second conversion of the afternoon, giving Army the 27-19 advantage.
Kutztown added a score in the waning minutes of the half, sending Army to the break with the 27-24 lead.
The second half started off slow, with neither team able to convert any scoring chances until the 54th minute, when Kuztown tied the game up on a penalty kick. Another penalty kick from the Golden Bears in the 66th minute gave Kutztown the three-point advantage.
Magee showed his leadership and dominance in the 76th minute, as the reigning D1A Player of the Week, pounded his way through the Kutztown defense to score what would be the game winning try. Pearce succeeded on his third conversion of the afternoon to put the Black Knights on top 34-30.
"They took a penalty and we decided to run a set piece," Magee said. "Jamison Geracci took the ball in and gave us a great ball and Ben Foley then took it in and gave us a great ball and then Jake just gave me a wide open pass. Because of the work of the other guys I just had a wide open gap and it was easy to put it down."
Kutztown kept the game interesting in the final minutes, threatening late in the game, but Army's defense came up big, regaining possession of the ball deep in their own territory and allowing the clock to run down.
"It was a really tough game as the score indicates, but it just shows how tough this team is," Pearce added. "We might be young but we're going to come out and hit you in the mouth for 80 full minutes. We played great as a team, we might be down but we're always going to come back and we're always going to score. The young guys really stepped up and showed their grit and determination and we all fed off of that. We were able to pull out the victory today and it is great being around these guys."
With the victory, Army moves to a perfect 6-0 on the season, in sole possession of first place in the Rugby East Conference.
"It's just great being out here with these guys," added Lachina. "I'm so honored to be a part of this Brotherhood and the leadership from these guys, practicing with them and just knowing they have your back really means a lot to me, especially being a young member of this team."
The team will play in their final regular season home competition of the fall season on Friday, Oct. 31 as they play host to service academy rival and seventh-ranked Air Force. They'll close out the season with a road contest with Wheeling Jesuit the following week.
Army Scoring Summary
| 2nd Minute | Peter Basnight | Try |
| 16th Minute | Logan Pearce | PK |
| 24th Minute | Jake Lachina | Try |
| 30th Minute | Collum Magee | Try |
| Logan Pearce | Conversion | |
| 33rd Minute | Jake Lachina | Try |
| Logan Pearce | Conversion | |
| 76th Minute | Collum Magee | Try |
| Logan Pearce | Conversion |
Players Mentioned
