Army West Point Athletics
Friday, August 28
New York, N.Y.
7:00 p.m.
Army West Point
1-0-2, 0-0-0
4
at
2
Columbia
0-1-0, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army West Point | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Columbia | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Army Defeats Columbia, 4-2, for First Win of the 2026 Season
August 28, 2026 | Men's Soccer
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Black Knights came out victorious on Friday night at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium after scoring four goals against the Columbia Lions. Army handed Columbia their first loss of the year in their season opener to move the Lions to 0-1, while the win brings Army's record to 1-0-2 on the season and extends their unbeaten streak.
The Black Knights set the tone early in the game, controlling play for the first 27 minutes and turning that pressure into a 2-0 lead going into the half. Sophomore Jack De Simone scored the first goal of the game for Army in the 20th minute, after being set up by Nicholas Berardi and Kasem Minzey. This goal marked De Simone's first goal of the season. Senior Jubril Bamgbala also notched his first goal of the season, heading the ball into the back of the net in the 27th minute on a corner kick from Ronald Zhai.
Columbia's offense woke up after the half, out-shooting the Black Knights 11-3 in the second half and cutting the deficit to 2-1 in the 60th minute when Henning Myrvang drove a shot inside the left post off an assist by Luke Zielinski.
Army quickly responded to Myrvang's goal, scoring a goal just four minutes later. Kelly Cooper headed in a Curtis Boozer long throw from near the corner in the 64th minute to bring the lead back to two. Ronald Zhai capped off the Black Knights' scoring in the 69th minute off a Bamgbala assist to make the score 4-1 over the Lions.
Columbia attempted a comeback as Ethan Heyward scored a goal 45 seconds later to make it 4-2 in the 70th minute, but the Black Knight's defense and goalkeeper Collin Gilbert silenced Columbia's offense in the remaining minutes of the game.
Four different Black Knights recorded goals on the night, each scoring their first goals of the season. Bamgbala led the Army offense with one goal and an assist on three shots (two on goal) in 61 total minutes of play.
By the Numbers:
Shots: Columbia outshot the Black Knights 18-8
Corner Kicks: Both teams recorded five corner kicks in the game.
Saves: Army's Collin Gilbert totaled five saves in 90 minutes of action. Columbia's Kai Zeruhn totaled just one save in 90 minutes of play.
Cards: The Black Knights received two yellow cards: one card given to Gunnar Guest, and one to Riley Cullum.
Attendance: 165 people attended Friday night's game at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium for the Lion's season opener.
Listen to Army head coach Brian Plotkin discuss the team's performance here:
Up Next:
The Black Knights look to keep the momentum going as they take on the Yale Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31 at Malek Stadium at Clinton Field.
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—
The Black Knights set the tone early in the game, controlling play for the first 27 minutes and turning that pressure into a 2-0 lead going into the half. Sophomore Jack De Simone scored the first goal of the game for Army in the 20th minute, after being set up by Nicholas Berardi and Kasem Minzey. This goal marked De Simone's first goal of the season. Senior Jubril Bamgbala also notched his first goal of the season, heading the ball into the back of the net in the 27th minute on a corner kick from Ronald Zhai.
Columbia's offense woke up after the half, out-shooting the Black Knights 11-3 in the second half and cutting the deficit to 2-1 in the 60th minute when Henning Myrvang drove a shot inside the left post off an assist by Luke Zielinski.
Army quickly responded to Myrvang's goal, scoring a goal just four minutes later. Kelly Cooper headed in a Curtis Boozer long throw from near the corner in the 64th minute to bring the lead back to two. Ronald Zhai capped off the Black Knights' scoring in the 69th minute off a Bamgbala assist to make the score 4-1 over the Lions.
Columbia attempted a comeback as Ethan Heyward scored a goal 45 seconds later to make it 4-2 in the 70th minute, but the Black Knight's defense and goalkeeper Collin Gilbert silenced Columbia's offense in the remaining minutes of the game.
Four different Black Knights recorded goals on the night, each scoring their first goals of the season. Bamgbala led the Army offense with one goal and an assist on three shots (two on goal) in 61 total minutes of play.
By the Numbers:
Shots: Columbia outshot the Black Knights 18-8
Corner Kicks: Both teams recorded five corner kicks in the game.
Saves: Army's Collin Gilbert totaled five saves in 90 minutes of action. Columbia's Kai Zeruhn totaled just one save in 90 minutes of play.
Cards: The Black Knights received two yellow cards: one card given to Gunnar Guest, and one to Riley Cullum.
Attendance: 165 people attended Friday night's game at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium for the Lion's season opener.
Listen to Army head coach Brian Plotkin discuss the team's performance here:
Up Next:
The Black Knights look to keep the momentum going as they take on the Yale Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31 at Malek Stadium at Clinton Field.
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—
Team Stats
ARMY
COL
Goals
4
2
Shots
8
18
Shots on Goal
5
7
Saves
5
1
Corners
5
5
Fouls
5
3
Scoring Plays
Jack De Simone (1)
Assisted By: Nicholas Berardi , Kasem Minzey
2 touch pass to 18, through ball finds 19 in close
19:32
Jubril Bamgbala (1)
Assisted By: Ronald Zhai
Corner sent in by 21, punched by keeper, headed in by 10
26:20
Henning Myrvang (1)
Assisted By: Luke Zielinski
8 taps ahead to 9, drives 25 yards and scores inside left post
59:13
Kelly Cooper (1)
Assisted By: Curtis Boozer
24 long throw from near corner, headed by 5 off far past and in
63:06
Ronald Zhai (1)
Assisted By: Jubril Bamgbala
Loose ball falls from 10 to 21, shot from top of box inside right post
68:39
Ethan Heyward (1)
Assisted By: Luke Zielinski
8 crosses diagonal, 21 angles ball between keeper and post
69:24
Game Leaders
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
1
mid
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
1
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
def
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Friday, August 28
Thursday, August 20