Army West Point Athletics

No. 5 Men’s Rugby Faces Test at No. 8 Penn State
October 01, 2015 | Men's Rugby
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Taking to the road for the first time all season in the first leg of a five-game road trip, the fifth-ranked Army West Point men's rugby team get a test on Friday as they battle with eighth-ranked Penn State from State College, Pa.
Both teams enter the game with unblemished marks of 3-0, as Army sits atop the Rugby East standings, holding a one-point advantage over the Nittany Lions.
HOW TO FOLLOW
As always, fans can visit www.GoArmyWestPoint.com for up-to-date information and follow the Black Knights on Twitter @ArmyWP_MRugby for live updates. Fans are also encouraged to download the app Periscope for behind-the-scenes video content and follow the men's rugby team on Instagram @armywprugby.
THE GAME
The fifth-ranked Army West Point men's rugby team will hit the road for the first of five road trips to conclude the regular season. The Black Knights enter the match as the top team in the Rugby East, earning 15 points with a perfect record of 3-0. Army opened the year with back-to-back shutouts over Buffalo and St. Bonaventure and earned a hard-fought 35-23 win over ninth-ranked Wheeling Jesuit last weekend. Penn State is ranked eighth in the latest Canterbury D1A National Poll, also boasting a flawless record (3-0). The Nittany Lions opened the year with a victory over St. Bonaventure, before taking a close 38-33 decision over Wheeling Jesuit. Penn State is riding high off of a 79-5 destruction of newly added Rugby East foe West Virginia.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Black Knights find themselves in a familiar place as they are currently holding the fifth spot in the Canterbury D1A Top 20 National Poll. Army spent a considerable amount of time as the nation's fifth-ranked team, opening the 2014-15 season in the same spot. The Cadets have reached as high as the third spot, a position they held from Oct. 30, 2014-March 19, 2015.
The D1A Top 20 Poll determines the 12 teams who advance into postseason play in the spring to play for a national championship. The Rugby East is well-represented among the nation's top squads, boasting four of the top 15 programs. Army leads the way in the fifth spot, followed by Kutztown at No. 6, Penn State at No. 8 and Wheeling Jesuit at No. 9.
ARMY'S LAST TIME OUT
Army faced its first test of the season last weekend as it hosted its first top-10 opponent in Rugby East rival Wheeling Jesuit. Despite a multitude of penalties, the Black Knights managed to outlast the Cardinals to earn a 35-23 victory.
"The first 35 minutes was the best 35 minutes we've played this year," said head coach Matt Sherman. "And then we got put under some pressure by a good Wheeling Jesuit team and I thought we unraveled a bit. That was pretty disappointing, but it was nice to get that lesson and come away with a victory and hopefully we take that lesson to heart going forward."
Army jumped out to a quick lead, taking a 28-3 lead into the break. The Cardinals, however, would respond in the second half, going on a 20-point unanswered streak to pressure the Black Knights. A penalty riddled contest, the game featured five successful penalty kicks, three yellow cards and a red card.
The Black Knights set the tone in the 10th minute as Thomas Del Pino successfully booted a penalty kick to give Army the 3-0 advantage. Cameron Hargis scored his third try of the season in the 18th minute, with Del Pino adding the conversion to put Army up 10-0.
Coming off the bench early in the game, Andy Sullivan caught the ball in the 25th minute from a Wheeling Jesuit kick and faked out a few Cardinal defenders to find the try zone. Del Pino added his second conversion of the afternoon to put the Cadets up 17-0.
Army took the 22-0 lead after David Huff posted his first try of the season in the 28th minute.
The first half of the game saw three penalty kicks, as Del Pino was successful in the 35th minute and stoppage time and Wheeling Jesuit converted a kick for points in the 39th minute to send Army into the break with the 28-3 lead.
The Cardinals came out strong in the second half, posting 20 unanswered points through 62 minutes of action, capitalizing on yellow cards issued to Andrew Irwin and Andrew Fargo.
Coming out of a scrum down the far side of the field, Basnight broke free of the Wheeling Jesuit defense and put the ball down near the sideline for five points. Del Pino was successful on a tough kick to earn his third conversion of the afternoon.
Neither team was able to score as time ticked off the clock and the Army defense held the Cardinals out of the try zone, despite multiple close calls and the Black Knights earned their third consecutive win.
With Wheeling Jesuit's penalty kick in the 39th minute, the Cardinals snapped a streak in which the Black Knights held opponents off of the score sheet for 198 minutes of action. The points were the first surrendered by Army on the season as they shut out both Buffalo and St. Bonaventure to open the year.
PENN STATE'S LAST TIME OUT
Penn State is riding high off of a 79-5 blowout in Morgantown, W.Va., as the Nittany Lions welcomed West Virginia to the Rugby East Conference in a tough fashion.
Nine different Nittany Lions recorded scores on the afternoon as Chris Burian, Robert Irimescu and Tyler May each dotted down twice. Jimmy Ronan added a try and six conversions for 17 points to follow up his D1A National Player of the Week honor.
The Nittany Lions were able to keep West Virginia off the board for the majority of the game before Luke Ellis scored in the 79th minute for the Mountaineers to avoid the shutout.
ARMY WHO TO WATCH: PETER BASNIGHT
A dominant force at the No. 8 position, firstie Peter Basnight has been solid for the Black Knights since joining the starting lineup last season. Basnight earned the start against Buffalo in the fall of 2014 and has been a constant in the top-15 ever since. He earned two scores in the fall, posting a try in the 73-12 win over Buffalo and earning a crucial five points for the Black Knights in the 34-30 upset win over Kutztown. For his efforts he garnered All-Rugby East honorable mention accolades.
In the spring of 2015, he tied for fifth amongst the Black Knights with three tries. He earned two scores in the Four Leafs Tournament championship game, helping guide Army to a 70-0 blanking of Stony Brook. In addition, he was one of just two players to earn a score against top-ranked St. Mary's in Army's 40-12 loss.
In Army's three games this season, Basnight has earned three tries as the only Black Knight to register a score in each contest.
RUGBY EAST STANDINGS
Through two weeks of competition, the Black Knights are atop the Rugby East standings, boasting a record of 3-0, earning 15 points. Penn State, also with a record of 3-0, sits in second place with 14 points.
Kutztown also earns an unblemished mark, competing in just one contest to earn a record of 1-0.
After a season-opening loss, Iona has rattled off two straight wins to move to 2-1 on the season, while two consecutive losses for Wheeling Jesuit moves the Cardinals to 1-2.
At the bottom of the pack sits West Virginia (0-1), Buffalo (0-3) and St. Bonaventure (0-3).
RUGBY EAST DOMINANCE
The Black Knights have been a formidable foe in the Rugby East, capturing the title in 2014 and earning a perfect 9-0 conference record since the start of the 2014-15 season.
In the last nine Rugby East contests, the Black Knights have outscored opponents by an average of 40.0-16.7, never surrendering more than 30 points. Army has held four opponents to 15 points or less, including both shutouts to open the season.
The 2015-16 squad features five of the eight All-Rugby East honorees from 2014-15. Andrew Fargo, Thomas Del Pino and David Huff landed on the first team, while vice-captain Jacob Banarhall earned second-team recognition and Peter Basnight garnered honorable mention honors.
SHERMAN ERA
The 2015-16 season ushers in a new chapter for the Black Knights as it officially kicks off the Matt Sherman era. The former All-American and national team member's hiring was announced on Aug. 11 by Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan. Sherman joins the Black Knights staff after a five-year tenure as the Director of Rugby at Stanford. With his hiring, he becomes the first full-time coach in Army West Point men's rugby history, filling the void after Mike Mahan announced his retirement in May. The men's rugby program joined the Army Athletic Association in August 2014.
"I am honored to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading the Army West Point men's rugby program," stated Sherman. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join one of the great institutions of leadership, dedicated to service of our country, as well as a rugby program with a distinguished tradition and history. I am proud to become your head coach and excited to get to work on the challenges ahead."
Since 2011, Sherman has led all rugby efforts at Stanford, including coaching, staffing, recruiting, administration and scheduling for both the men's and women's programs. Under his tutelage, the men's team reached the national quarterfinals twice and the women's program advanced to the national final four three times. In addition, he helped the rugby programs fundraise more than $1 million and increased admitted recruits from zero to seven.
While leading the Cardinal program, Sherman also served as the Men's College All-Americans Head Coach from 2012-2014. In both of his years with the team, he earned a winning record and more than 50 percent of his athletes moved on to play for the senior men's national team.
From 2009-11, Sherman worked with the U.S. Men's National Team as an assistant coach, working with the back line. His squad produced a victory over Russia in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Sherman is joined at West Point by his wife, Kristen, daughter, Piper (10 weeks), and dog, Cooper.
FARGO NAMED D1A NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Following a two-score performance in the season-opener against Buffalo, Andrew Fargo earned the distinction as the D1A National Player of the week on Sept. 17. He leads the Black Knights with four tries on the season, scoring a pair in each of the opening two games.
Last season, the Del Mar, Calif., native was named to the All-Rugby East first team squad, garnered All-ACRC first team recognition, was selected to play for the All-Army team at the Las Vegas 7s 2015 Men's ACR Tournament, was named the AAA Athlete of the Week once during the spring and scored a try against Davenport, which earned AAA Play of the Week. He's recorded 14 career tries since joining the Army Athletic Association in August of 2014.
RUGBY EAST EXPANSION
Rugby East teams will gain a new rival this season as the Mountaineers of West Virginia join the conference. The Mountaineers posted a successful 2014-15 season, capturing the Keystone Conference title in 15s action and qualifying for the USA Rugby College 7s National Championships.
Army will meet with West Virginia for the first time on Saturday, Oct. 10 as they travel to Morgantown, W.Va. for an afternoon matchup.
So far this season, West Virginia is 0-1, having fallen to Penn State by a score of 79-5 in its first Rugby East match of the year.
MEET YOUR CAPTAINS
The 2015-16 squad will be captained by senior Donny Goff, with Jacob Banarhall serving as the vice-captain.
Goff, a prop from Framingham, Mass., was not active on the fall 2014 roster due to injury. He rejoined the team in the spring, recording a score in Army's 37-0 victory over Seton Hall at the Four Leafs Tournament and earning the start in the team's meetings with UMass, Navy, St. Mary's and Davenport. He opened the 2015-16 season with a try against Buffalo, scoring in the 10th minute of action.
A native of Auburn, N.H., Banarhall earned the start in each of the team's nine fall contests. He recorded two scores in the fall, posting tries against Iona and Buffalo. During the spring, he tied for second on the team with five tries, earning two scores against Stony Brook in the title game of the Four Leafs Tournament. He led a second-half comeback in the match with Navy, scoring three times, including the game-tying score and go ahead marks. He was named to the All-Rugby East second team in the fall.
CADET CHAIN OF COMMAND
Three members of the men's rugby team have been elected into positions of leadership in the cadet chain of command, representing the largest contingent of any corps squad team at the Academy. Andrew Borer leads the way as the 4th Regimental Commander, while Cameron Hargis earns the title of 1st Regimental Command Sergeant Major and Donny Goff serves as the 3rd Regimental Command Sergeant Major.
CLASS RINGS
The Class of 2016 received their class rings in a ceremony held at Trophy Point on Aug. 28, 2015. A time-honored West Point tradition, the Class of 2016's rings contain gold from 356 West Point graduates donated to the West Point Association of Graduates in addition to steel melted down from the World Trade Center.
FARGO TRAVELS TO NEW ZEALAND
Cow Andrew Fargo closed out his summer training at the Crusaders International High Performance Unit on the South Island of New Zealand, working alongside many international players.
Fargo, who led the Black Knights' spring 15s squad with six tries, had a spectacular sophomore campaign, earning All-Rugby East first team honors in the fall. He was tabbed the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the week following his performance in the win over UMass and his impressive score against Davenport earned him the Army Athletic Association Play of the Week. He recorded two tries in the season-opener against Buffalo last weekend.
Documenting his excursion, Fargo kept a blog of his experiences in the hot bed of international rugby. Visit www.GoArmyWestPoint.com for more information.
UP NEXT
The Black Knights will visit Morgantown, W.Va., on Saturday, Oct. 2 as they square off with the Mountaineers. It will be the first meeting between the two programs as the Mountaineers joined the Rugby East at the onset of the season.
Following the trip to West Virginia, Army will head to Iona, Kutztown and Air Force.
Both teams enter the game with unblemished marks of 3-0, as Army sits atop the Rugby East standings, holding a one-point advantage over the Nittany Lions.
HOW TO FOLLOW
As always, fans can visit www.GoArmyWestPoint.com for up-to-date information and follow the Black Knights on Twitter @ArmyWP_MRugby for live updates. Fans are also encouraged to download the app Periscope for behind-the-scenes video content and follow the men's rugby team on Instagram @armywprugby.
THE GAME
The fifth-ranked Army West Point men's rugby team will hit the road for the first of five road trips to conclude the regular season. The Black Knights enter the match as the top team in the Rugby East, earning 15 points with a perfect record of 3-0. Army opened the year with back-to-back shutouts over Buffalo and St. Bonaventure and earned a hard-fought 35-23 win over ninth-ranked Wheeling Jesuit last weekend. Penn State is ranked eighth in the latest Canterbury D1A National Poll, also boasting a flawless record (3-0). The Nittany Lions opened the year with a victory over St. Bonaventure, before taking a close 38-33 decision over Wheeling Jesuit. Penn State is riding high off of a 79-5 destruction of newly added Rugby East foe West Virginia.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Black Knights find themselves in a familiar place as they are currently holding the fifth spot in the Canterbury D1A Top 20 National Poll. Army spent a considerable amount of time as the nation's fifth-ranked team, opening the 2014-15 season in the same spot. The Cadets have reached as high as the third spot, a position they held from Oct. 30, 2014-March 19, 2015.
The D1A Top 20 Poll determines the 12 teams who advance into postseason play in the spring to play for a national championship. The Rugby East is well-represented among the nation's top squads, boasting four of the top 15 programs. Army leads the way in the fifth spot, followed by Kutztown at No. 6, Penn State at No. 8 and Wheeling Jesuit at No. 9.
ARMY'S LAST TIME OUT
Army faced its first test of the season last weekend as it hosted its first top-10 opponent in Rugby East rival Wheeling Jesuit. Despite a multitude of penalties, the Black Knights managed to outlast the Cardinals to earn a 35-23 victory.
"The first 35 minutes was the best 35 minutes we've played this year," said head coach Matt Sherman. "And then we got put under some pressure by a good Wheeling Jesuit team and I thought we unraveled a bit. That was pretty disappointing, but it was nice to get that lesson and come away with a victory and hopefully we take that lesson to heart going forward."
Army jumped out to a quick lead, taking a 28-3 lead into the break. The Cardinals, however, would respond in the second half, going on a 20-point unanswered streak to pressure the Black Knights. A penalty riddled contest, the game featured five successful penalty kicks, three yellow cards and a red card.
The Black Knights set the tone in the 10th minute as Thomas Del Pino successfully booted a penalty kick to give Army the 3-0 advantage. Cameron Hargis scored his third try of the season in the 18th minute, with Del Pino adding the conversion to put Army up 10-0.
Coming off the bench early in the game, Andy Sullivan caught the ball in the 25th minute from a Wheeling Jesuit kick and faked out a few Cardinal defenders to find the try zone. Del Pino added his second conversion of the afternoon to put the Cadets up 17-0.
Army took the 22-0 lead after David Huff posted his first try of the season in the 28th minute.
The first half of the game saw three penalty kicks, as Del Pino was successful in the 35th minute and stoppage time and Wheeling Jesuit converted a kick for points in the 39th minute to send Army into the break with the 28-3 lead.
The Cardinals came out strong in the second half, posting 20 unanswered points through 62 minutes of action, capitalizing on yellow cards issued to Andrew Irwin and Andrew Fargo.
Coming out of a scrum down the far side of the field, Basnight broke free of the Wheeling Jesuit defense and put the ball down near the sideline for five points. Del Pino was successful on a tough kick to earn his third conversion of the afternoon.
Neither team was able to score as time ticked off the clock and the Army defense held the Cardinals out of the try zone, despite multiple close calls and the Black Knights earned their third consecutive win.
With Wheeling Jesuit's penalty kick in the 39th minute, the Cardinals snapped a streak in which the Black Knights held opponents off of the score sheet for 198 minutes of action. The points were the first surrendered by Army on the season as they shut out both Buffalo and St. Bonaventure to open the year.
PENN STATE'S LAST TIME OUT
Penn State is riding high off of a 79-5 blowout in Morgantown, W.Va., as the Nittany Lions welcomed West Virginia to the Rugby East Conference in a tough fashion.
Nine different Nittany Lions recorded scores on the afternoon as Chris Burian, Robert Irimescu and Tyler May each dotted down twice. Jimmy Ronan added a try and six conversions for 17 points to follow up his D1A National Player of the Week honor.
The Nittany Lions were able to keep West Virginia off the board for the majority of the game before Luke Ellis scored in the 79th minute for the Mountaineers to avoid the shutout.
ARMY WHO TO WATCH: PETER BASNIGHT
A dominant force at the No. 8 position, firstie Peter Basnight has been solid for the Black Knights since joining the starting lineup last season. Basnight earned the start against Buffalo in the fall of 2014 and has been a constant in the top-15 ever since. He earned two scores in the fall, posting a try in the 73-12 win over Buffalo and earning a crucial five points for the Black Knights in the 34-30 upset win over Kutztown. For his efforts he garnered All-Rugby East honorable mention accolades.
In the spring of 2015, he tied for fifth amongst the Black Knights with three tries. He earned two scores in the Four Leafs Tournament championship game, helping guide Army to a 70-0 blanking of Stony Brook. In addition, he was one of just two players to earn a score against top-ranked St. Mary's in Army's 40-12 loss.
In Army's three games this season, Basnight has earned three tries as the only Black Knight to register a score in each contest.
RUGBY EAST STANDINGS
Through two weeks of competition, the Black Knights are atop the Rugby East standings, boasting a record of 3-0, earning 15 points. Penn State, also with a record of 3-0, sits in second place with 14 points.
Kutztown also earns an unblemished mark, competing in just one contest to earn a record of 1-0.
After a season-opening loss, Iona has rattled off two straight wins to move to 2-1 on the season, while two consecutive losses for Wheeling Jesuit moves the Cardinals to 1-2.
At the bottom of the pack sits West Virginia (0-1), Buffalo (0-3) and St. Bonaventure (0-3).
RUGBY EAST DOMINANCE
The Black Knights have been a formidable foe in the Rugby East, capturing the title in 2014 and earning a perfect 9-0 conference record since the start of the 2014-15 season.
In the last nine Rugby East contests, the Black Knights have outscored opponents by an average of 40.0-16.7, never surrendering more than 30 points. Army has held four opponents to 15 points or less, including both shutouts to open the season.
The 2015-16 squad features five of the eight All-Rugby East honorees from 2014-15. Andrew Fargo, Thomas Del Pino and David Huff landed on the first team, while vice-captain Jacob Banarhall earned second-team recognition and Peter Basnight garnered honorable mention honors.
SHERMAN ERA
The 2015-16 season ushers in a new chapter for the Black Knights as it officially kicks off the Matt Sherman era. The former All-American and national team member's hiring was announced on Aug. 11 by Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan. Sherman joins the Black Knights staff after a five-year tenure as the Director of Rugby at Stanford. With his hiring, he becomes the first full-time coach in Army West Point men's rugby history, filling the void after Mike Mahan announced his retirement in May. The men's rugby program joined the Army Athletic Association in August 2014.
"I am honored to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading the Army West Point men's rugby program," stated Sherman. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join one of the great institutions of leadership, dedicated to service of our country, as well as a rugby program with a distinguished tradition and history. I am proud to become your head coach and excited to get to work on the challenges ahead."
Since 2011, Sherman has led all rugby efforts at Stanford, including coaching, staffing, recruiting, administration and scheduling for both the men's and women's programs. Under his tutelage, the men's team reached the national quarterfinals twice and the women's program advanced to the national final four three times. In addition, he helped the rugby programs fundraise more than $1 million and increased admitted recruits from zero to seven.
While leading the Cardinal program, Sherman also served as the Men's College All-Americans Head Coach from 2012-2014. In both of his years with the team, he earned a winning record and more than 50 percent of his athletes moved on to play for the senior men's national team.
From 2009-11, Sherman worked with the U.S. Men's National Team as an assistant coach, working with the back line. His squad produced a victory over Russia in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Sherman is joined at West Point by his wife, Kristen, daughter, Piper (10 weeks), and dog, Cooper.
FARGO NAMED D1A NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Following a two-score performance in the season-opener against Buffalo, Andrew Fargo earned the distinction as the D1A National Player of the week on Sept. 17. He leads the Black Knights with four tries on the season, scoring a pair in each of the opening two games.
Last season, the Del Mar, Calif., native was named to the All-Rugby East first team squad, garnered All-ACRC first team recognition, was selected to play for the All-Army team at the Las Vegas 7s 2015 Men's ACR Tournament, was named the AAA Athlete of the Week once during the spring and scored a try against Davenport, which earned AAA Play of the Week. He's recorded 14 career tries since joining the Army Athletic Association in August of 2014.
RUGBY EAST EXPANSION
Rugby East teams will gain a new rival this season as the Mountaineers of West Virginia join the conference. The Mountaineers posted a successful 2014-15 season, capturing the Keystone Conference title in 15s action and qualifying for the USA Rugby College 7s National Championships.
Army will meet with West Virginia for the first time on Saturday, Oct. 10 as they travel to Morgantown, W.Va. for an afternoon matchup.
So far this season, West Virginia is 0-1, having fallen to Penn State by a score of 79-5 in its first Rugby East match of the year.
MEET YOUR CAPTAINS
The 2015-16 squad will be captained by senior Donny Goff, with Jacob Banarhall serving as the vice-captain.
Goff, a prop from Framingham, Mass., was not active on the fall 2014 roster due to injury. He rejoined the team in the spring, recording a score in Army's 37-0 victory over Seton Hall at the Four Leafs Tournament and earning the start in the team's meetings with UMass, Navy, St. Mary's and Davenport. He opened the 2015-16 season with a try against Buffalo, scoring in the 10th minute of action.
A native of Auburn, N.H., Banarhall earned the start in each of the team's nine fall contests. He recorded two scores in the fall, posting tries against Iona and Buffalo. During the spring, he tied for second on the team with five tries, earning two scores against Stony Brook in the title game of the Four Leafs Tournament. He led a second-half comeback in the match with Navy, scoring three times, including the game-tying score and go ahead marks. He was named to the All-Rugby East second team in the fall.
CADET CHAIN OF COMMAND
Three members of the men's rugby team have been elected into positions of leadership in the cadet chain of command, representing the largest contingent of any corps squad team at the Academy. Andrew Borer leads the way as the 4th Regimental Commander, while Cameron Hargis earns the title of 1st Regimental Command Sergeant Major and Donny Goff serves as the 3rd Regimental Command Sergeant Major.
CLASS RINGS
The Class of 2016 received their class rings in a ceremony held at Trophy Point on Aug. 28, 2015. A time-honored West Point tradition, the Class of 2016's rings contain gold from 356 West Point graduates donated to the West Point Association of Graduates in addition to steel melted down from the World Trade Center.
FARGO TRAVELS TO NEW ZEALAND
Cow Andrew Fargo closed out his summer training at the Crusaders International High Performance Unit on the South Island of New Zealand, working alongside many international players.
Fargo, who led the Black Knights' spring 15s squad with six tries, had a spectacular sophomore campaign, earning All-Rugby East first team honors in the fall. He was tabbed the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the week following his performance in the win over UMass and his impressive score against Davenport earned him the Army Athletic Association Play of the Week. He recorded two tries in the season-opener against Buffalo last weekend.
Documenting his excursion, Fargo kept a blog of his experiences in the hot bed of international rugby. Visit www.GoArmyWestPoint.com for more information.
UP NEXT
The Black Knights will visit Morgantown, W.Va., on Saturday, Oct. 2 as they square off with the Mountaineers. It will be the first meeting between the two programs as the Mountaineers joined the Rugby East at the onset of the season.
Following the trip to West Virginia, Army will head to Iona, Kutztown and Air Force.
Players Mentioned
Army vs Air Force
Saturday, October 29
Army vs St. Bonaventure
Sunday, October 02
Army vs Kutztown
Friday, September 09
Army vs. Life
Saturday, April 16