Army West Point Athletics
Wednesday, March 19
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
1:00 PM PT / 4:00 PM ET
Army West Point
31
at
39
Cal Poly
Men’s Rugby Defeated at Cal Poly to Conclude Regular Season
March 20, 2025 | Men's Rugby
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – After a close, hard-fought loss Saturday at California, Army West Point Men's Rugby looked to rebound Wednesday at Cal Poly, but fell behind in the second half and couldn't overcome a late deficit as large as 10 points, falling 39-31 to the Mustangs.
After the home team got out to a 7-0 lead in the opening two minutes, Army answered with Benjamin Kemp and Cort Schmidlin tries alongside Howard Heller conversions, to go ahead 14-7.
After the Mustangs scored two consecutive tries to regain a 19-14 lead, Dylan Liskey scored at the fixture's halfway mark to tie the match at 19.
Nathan Gould put Army back in front with a try four minutes into the second half, before the Mustangs got three points back six minutes later on a penalty. Cal Poly then took a permanent lead on a try three minutes later and stretched its cushion to two possessions subsequently.
The Black Knights got back within three points on a Malik Birchett try and Heller conversion, but the Mustangs would follow with a late try to extend their ultimate lead to eight.
Coach's Corner
"It was a tough ask to back up against another good opponent on short rest, but we weren't satisfied with our performance regardless. Nonetheless, we will take away a clear direction on the things we need to do to become the team we aspire to be from this trip, as well as belief in our ability to be a very good team when we get it right," said head coach Matt Sherman.
Next Up
Army will await its fate for the first round of the CRAA Men's Rugby Playoffs, with the opening round scheduled for April 5.
Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army Men's Rugby on X @ArmyWP_MRugby and on Instagram @armywp_rugby. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about baseball and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.
After the home team got out to a 7-0 lead in the opening two minutes, Army answered with Benjamin Kemp and Cort Schmidlin tries alongside Howard Heller conversions, to go ahead 14-7.
After the Mustangs scored two consecutive tries to regain a 19-14 lead, Dylan Liskey scored at the fixture's halfway mark to tie the match at 19.
Nathan Gould put Army back in front with a try four minutes into the second half, before the Mustangs got three points back six minutes later on a penalty. Cal Poly then took a permanent lead on a try three minutes later and stretched its cushion to two possessions subsequently.
The Black Knights got back within three points on a Malik Birchett try and Heller conversion, but the Mustangs would follow with a late try to extend their ultimate lead to eight.
Coach's Corner
"It was a tough ask to back up against another good opponent on short rest, but we weren't satisfied with our performance regardless. Nonetheless, we will take away a clear direction on the things we need to do to become the team we aspire to be from this trip, as well as belief in our ability to be a very good team when we get it right," said head coach Matt Sherman.
Next Up
Army will await its fate for the first round of the CRAA Men's Rugby Playoffs, with the opening round scheduled for April 5.
Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army Men's Rugby on X @ArmyWP_MRugby and on Instagram @armywp_rugby. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about baseball and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.
Players Mentioned
Flanker/Prop
/ Men's Rugby
Center
/ Men's Rugby
Scrumhalf
/ Men's Rugby
Center
/ Men's Rugby
Flanker
/ Men's Rugby
/ Men's Rugby
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