Army West Point Athletics
Saturday, August 29
West Point, N.Y.
12:00 p.m.
Army West Point
75
vs
7
Queens (N.C.)
Men’s Rugby Victorious in Season-Opener vs. Queens
August 29, 2026 | Men's Rugby
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point men's rugby may have conceded the opening try on Saturday at Anderson Rugby Complex, but would respond with 75 unanswered points and walked away with a 75-7 romp of the Queens Royals to open the 2026-27 season.
The Black Knights scored 11 consecutive tries, beginning in the 14' through the 75.' Max Doerfler, Howie Heller and Luke Johnson each led with a pair of tries, while Nick Trout tallied 10 conversion kicks.
Army led 28-7 at the half, and pulled away quickly in the second half to put insurmountable separation between the sides.
Coach's Corner
"It was a good first performance. I've been really pleased with the way this group has come together, and I thought we earned a strong performance out of the gate. What excites me even more is how much information we came away with about where we can improve. That's what matters most to us—how much better we can get from one week to the next. We'll enjoy this one, learn from it, and then turn our attention to a great challenge next week against Guelph, the defending Canadian national champions. We're excited to keep building from here," said head coach Matt Sherman.
Match Scoresheet
10' | Queens – Try 0-5
Queens – Conversion 0-7
14' | Porter Kuebler – Try 5-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 7-7
18' | Max Doerfler – Try 12-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 14-7
23' | Matt Lestlie – Try 19-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 21-7
29' | Max Doerfler – Try 26-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 28-7
47' | Liam Walsh – Try 33-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 35-7
54' | Howie Heller – Try 40-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 42-7
58' | Howie Heller – Try 47-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 49-7
67' | Cort Schmidlin – Try 54-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 56-7
69' | Luke Johnson – Try 61-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 63-7
72' | Luke Johnson – Try 68-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 70-7
75' | Noah Sanchez – Try 75-7
Next Up
Army heads to Canada next week for its annual trip to Guelph, and leg one of the Cannon Cup. Kickoff on Saturday is set for 1:00 p.m.
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 men's rugby 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 scored 11 consecutive tries, beginning in the 14' through the 75.' Max Doerfler, Howie Heller and Luke Johnson each led with a pair of tries, while Nick Trout tallied 10 conversion kicks.
Army led 28-7 at the half, and pulled away quickly in the second half to put insurmountable separation between the sides.
Coach's Corner
"It was a good first performance. I've been really pleased with the way this group has come together, and I thought we earned a strong performance out of the gate. What excites me even more is how much information we came away with about where we can improve. That's what matters most to us—how much better we can get from one week to the next. We'll enjoy this one, learn from it, and then turn our attention to a great challenge next week against Guelph, the defending Canadian national champions. We're excited to keep building from here," said head coach Matt Sherman.
Match Scoresheet
10' | Queens – Try 0-5
Queens – Conversion 0-7
14' | Porter Kuebler – Try 5-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 7-7
18' | Max Doerfler – Try 12-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 14-7
23' | Matt Lestlie – Try 19-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 21-7
29' | Max Doerfler – Try 26-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 28-7
47' | Liam Walsh – Try 33-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 35-7
54' | Howie Heller – Try 40-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 42-7
58' | Howie Heller – Try 47-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 49-7
67' | Cort Schmidlin – Try 54-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 56-7
69' | Luke Johnson – Try 61-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 63-7
72' | Luke Johnson – Try 68-7
Nick Trout – Conversion 70-7
75' | Noah Sanchez – Try 75-7
Next Up
Army heads to Canada next week for its annual trip to Guelph, and leg one of the Cannon Cup. Kickoff on Saturday is set for 1:00 p.m.
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 men's rugby 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—
Players Mentioned
Flanker
/ Men's Rugby
Scrumhalf
/ Men's Rugby
Flanker
/ Men's Rugby
Scrumhalf
/ Men's Rugby
Fullback
/ Men's Rugby
Fullback/Center
/ Men's Rugby
Center/Fullback
/ Men's Rugby
Lock
/ Men's RugbySaturday, October 29
Sunday, October 02
Friday, September 09
Saturday, April 16