Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
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Southern Virginia University
Men’s Rugby Dominates Southern Virginia
September 20, 2024 | Men's Rugby
BUENA VISTA, VA – The Army West Point Men's Rugby team kicked off their road campaign with a commanding 48-7 victory over Rugby East Conference rival, Southern Virginia.
Seven different Black Knights contributed to the scoring, with Howie Heller leading the charge with 18 points and Chance Loudenback adding 10.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Army controlled possession early, pressing toward the try zone in the first 13 minutes. Southern Virginia's defense held firm but couldn't stop George Engels from powering through to put Army on the scoreboard. Heller converted, extending Army's lead to 7-0.
Just four minutes after the kickoff, Army regained possession and continued to pressure the Southern Virginia defense. Benji Kemp broke through in the 18th minute, stretching the lead to 14-0.
Southern Virginia briefly gained possession but struggled to penetrate Army's staunch defense, with the Black Knights reclaiming control. In the 31st minute, Heller added a try, and Army's lead grew to 17-0.
Loudenback found the try zone just five minutes later, followed by another Heller conversion, widening the gap to 24-0. A penalty kick by Heller in the final moments of the first half sent Army into the break leading 27-0.
The second half began much like the first, with Army asserting dominance. It took just three minutes for Jack Reed to cross into the try zone, with Heller converting to push the lead to 34-0.
Southern Virginia responded in the 54th minute, finally breaking through Army's defense for a try, cutting the deficit to 34-7. But Army quickly answered, with Jacob Bottarini finding the try zone eight minutes later. Another Heller conversion made it 41-7.
Despite SVU's best efforts to contain the Black Knights, Loudenback scored his second try of the evening in the 77th minute, and Heller's conversion sealed the 48-7 victory.
UP NEXT
Army will travel to Annapolis, Md., to face the Navy Midshipmen in the Star Match presented by USAA next Saturday, September 28.
Players Mentioned
