Army Opens Season with a Draw Against Rival Air Force

Thursday, August 20

West Point, N.Y.

7:00 p.m.

Army West Point

0-0-1, 0-0-0

Air Force

0-0-1, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Air Force	0	1	1
Army West Point	0	1	1

Gunnar Guest celebrates after scoring a goal

Army Opens Season with a Draw Against Rival Air Force

August 21, 2026 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point men's soccer team opened its 2026 campaign with a 1-1 draw against service academy rival Air Force on Thursday night at the newly renovated Malek Stadium at Clinton Field.

In the first half, both the Black Knights and Falcons battled through rainy conditions and held each other scoreless. Army recorded seven total shots, with five on goal, while Air Force recorded six total shots, with three of them on goal.

In the game's 53rd minute, Air Force's Tucker Kern found the back of the net for a goal, breaking the tie and giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead.

Army responded a little over six minutes later, scoring a goal of its own to tie the game at one goal apiece. Freshman Gunnar Guest found the back of the net in the 59th minute, with the assist of Jacob Nguyen, earning Guest's first goal of the season and his first career goal at Army West Point.

Neither team was able to find the game-winning goal in the final 31 minutes, as the Black Knights and Falcons finished the night with a 1-1 draw.

By the Numbers:

Shots: Both teams recorded 13 total shots, with Army leading in shots on goal, 7-4.
Corner kicks: Air Force led in corner kicks, 4-3.
Saves: Army's Collin Gilbert recorded three saves, while Air Force's Hunter Anderson recorded six.
Cards: One yellow card was issued in the game, to Army's Nicholas Berardi at the 51:20 mark.
Attendance: A crowd of 512 attended Thursday night's service academy match at Malek Stadium.

Up Next:
The Black Knights will travel for a road match against the Akron Zips. The match is set for Monday, August 24 at 7:00 p.m. EDT at FirstEnergy Stadium in Akron, Ohio.

Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army Men's Soccer on X @armywp_msoccer and on Instagram @armywp_msoccer. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about men's soccer and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.

Army West Point Athletic Association, Inc. (AWPAA)
AWPAA is an IRS code 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established to execute the United States Military Academy's intercollegiate athletics program. AWPAA is led by a board of directors that provides guidance to the director of athletics, who serves as the primary advisor to the USMA Superintendent and the USMA leadership on all NCAA operations. The AWPAA mission is to recruit, educate, train and inspire leaders of character who are committed to the Army values through an extraordinary Division I athletic experience.

––www.goarmywestpoint.com—