Men’s Rugby Hosts Buffalo in Season Opener

Saturday, September 12

West Point, N.Y.

2 PM

Army West Point

Buffalo

Men’s Rugby Hosts Buffalo in Season Opener

September 11, 2015 | Men's Rugby

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The defending Rugby East champion Army West Point men's rugby team will open the 2015-16 season on Saturday, Sept. 12 as they host conference rival Buffalo from Anderson Rugby Complex.

Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. in the second game of a doubleheader with the women.

TICKETS & PARKING
Admission to Anderson Rugby Complex is free to the public. Tickets are not required. Fans are encouraged to park along the fence line surrounding Anderson Rugby Complex on Upton Road. Parking will also be available along Upton Road by Shea Stadium and Gillis Field House. Only authorized and handicapped vehicles will be permitted to park inside of Anderson Rugby Complex.

HOW TO FOLLOW
A live stream of the game will be provided by Knight Vision, with Zack Daly on the call. Fans can purchase a 24-hour pass to Knight Vision for $6.95, a monthly subscription for $9.95 or a yearlong plan for $79.95. Follow the link here to purchase a subscription.

As always, fans can visit www.GoArmyWestPoint.com for up-to-date information and follow the Black Knights on Twitter @ArmyWP_MRugby for live updates. Fans are also encouraged to download the app Periscope for behind-the-scenes video.

THE GAME
The fifth-ranked Black Knights kick off the 2015-16 season from Anderson Rugby Complex as they host Rugby East foe Buffalo in a mid-afternoon matchup. The game will be the first of a three-game homestand in which Army West Point will host Buffalo, St. Bonaventure and Wheeling Jesuit before taking to the road for the remainder of the season.

"I think we've been doing pretty well," head coach Matt Sherman said. "I was guardedly optimistic with the performance Saturday (in a scrimmage against Old Blue RFC). I think we improved in areas that we spent significant time on and showcased a reasonable performance, although we continue to strive toward more accuracy and consistency. That being said, the areas that we haven't spent significant time on, we struggled in. I think we're in a pretty good place. I think we've been improving the last few weeks, but most importantly we want to continue to improve this next week and as a team we've targeted some specific areas to do so.

Coming off of our scrimmage with Old Blue, I think we need to be better in our set pieces. We need to be better at playing field position and I think better at transitions. I think those are areas that we weren't great at."

SHERMAN ERA
Saturday will usher in a new chapter for the Black Knights as it officially kicks off the Matt Sherman era. The former All-American and national team member's hiring was announced on Aug. 11 by Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan. Sherman joins the Black Knights staff after a five-year tenure as the Director of Rugby at Stanford. With his hiring, he becomes the first full-time coach in Army West Point men's rugby history, filling the void after Mike Mahan announced his retirement in May. The men's rugby program joined the Army Athletic Association in August 2014.

"I am honored to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading the Army West Point men's rugby program," stated Sherman. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join one of the great institutions of leadership, dedicated to service of our country, as well as a rugby program with a distinguished tradition and history. I am proud to become your head coach and excited to get to work on the challenges ahead."

Since 2011, Sherman has led all rugby efforts at Stanford, including coaching, staffing, recruiting, administration and scheduling for both the men's and women's programs. Under his tutelage, the men's team reached the national quarterfinals twice and the women's program advanced to the national final four three times. In addition, he helped the rugby programs fundraise more than $1 million and increased admitted recruits from zero to seven.

While leading the Cardinal program, Sherman also served as the Men's College All-Americans Head Coach from 2012-2014. In both of his years with the team, he earned a winning record and more than 50 percent of his athletes moved on to play for the senior men's national team.

From 2009-11, Sherman worked with the U.S. Men's National Team as an assistant coach, working with the back line. His squad produced a victory over Russia in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Sherman is joined at West Point by his wife, Kristen, daughter, Piper (eight weeks), and dog, Cooper.

LAST MEETING
Army last took to the pitch against Buffalo on Oct. 18, 2014, capturing a 73-12 victory from UB Stadium. The Black Knights limited the Bulls to two scores as 11 Army players found the scoresheet.

Cody Brown opened up the scoring in the fourth minute, giving the Black Knights the 5-0 advantage. Just four minutes later Andrew Fargo would add a score, with Logan Pearce converting the kick, giving Army the 12-0 lead.

In the 13th minute, Peter Basnight gave the Black Knights the 17-0 lead and Jacob Banarhall followed in the 24th minute, with Pearce converting the kick, to make it 24-0 in favor of Army.

Three straight tries from Collum Magee, John Sproul and Jamison Geracci would give Army the 39-0 lead before Buffalo scored in the waning minutes of the first.

At the half, the Black Knights owned a 39-7 lead.

Pearce opened up the scoring in the second half with a try in the 51st minute. David Huff followed in the 57th minute to put the Black Knights up 49-7.

Andrew Borer and Benjamin Lemon scored back-to-back tries in the 57th and 65th minutes and Pearce added his second of the day in the 74th. Borer took over the kicking duties and added his first conversion of the day to put Army up 66-7.

Huff closed out the scoring for the Black Knights in the 78th minute and Borer added his second kick of the outing, giving Army the 73-7 lead.

In stoppage time, Buffalo added its second score of the day, but the Black Knight's dominant performance proved too much as they walked away with the 73-12 victory.

LAST TIME OUT
The Black Knights season came to an end in their last match as they fell to third-ranked Davenport by a score of 50-24 in the quarterfinal round of the D1A National Playoffs from Anderson Rugby Complex.

Army West Point got on the board first as Brown got things going with a try in the sixth minute. Pearce's successful conversion put the Cadets up by a mark of 7-0 to claim the early lead.

Davenport would answer with four straight tries and two conversions to close out the half with the 24-7 advantage.
The Panthers picked up where they left off in the 45th minute, putting up a try and conversion to take the 31-7 lead.

The Cadets responded as captain Magee set the pace in the 50th minute, barreling through the Davenport defense to record the score between the goal posts. Pearce again succeeded on the conversion and pulled Army West Point to within 17.

Pearce booted a penalty kick in the 53rd minute and Fargo continued the comeback with a beautiful play, kicking the ball to himself and speeding past the Davenport ruggers. With Pearce's third kick of the afternoon, the Black Knights breathed some life into the game, trailing by a score of 31-24.

Davenport showed its muscle, however, swinging the momentum back in its favor with back-to-back tries in the 67th and 69th minutes. With the score reading 43-24 in favor of the Panthers, the game slipped away from the Black Knights as their fate was sealed in the 79th minute with the game's final try and conversion.

ARMY WHO TO WATCH: JAKE LACHINA
Now in his sophomore season, Jake Lachina will return to the pitch full-time for the Black Knights after missing a majority of the spring season due to injury. In his plebe year, the Thousand Oaks, Calif., native posted two tries in the fall season, recording both of his scores in the 34-30 upset victory over conference rival Kutztown.

RUGBY EAST EXPANSION
Rugby East teams will gain a new rival this season as the Mountaineers of West Virginia join the conference. The Mountaineers posted a successful 2014-15 season, capturing the Keystone Conference title in 15s action and qualifying for the USA Rugby College 7s National Championships.

Army will meet with West Virginia for the first time on Saturday, Oct. 10 as they travel to Morgantown, W.Va. for an afternoon battle.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Black Knights find themselves in a familiar place to kick off the 2015-16 season, as they are currently slotted in the fifth spot of the Canterbury D1A National Rankings. Army spent a considerable amount of time as the nation's fifth-ranked team, opening the 2014-15 season in the same spot.

Army reached as high as No. 3, a ranking they held from Oct. 30, 2014-March 19, 2015.

The D1A Top 20 poll determines the 12 teams who advance into postseason play in the spring to play for a national championship.

OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
The Cadets' play on both sides of the ball contributed to many of the successes they earned during the 2014-15 season. On offense, Huff's 15 tries (combined between fall and spring) led the way for the Army offense which scored an average of 35.4 points per game.

On defense, the Black Knights stifled opponents, holding teams to an average of 18.2 points per contest. Army blanked six opponents and held eight opponents to under 15 points, playing in 18 total games.

MEET YOUR CAPTAINS
The 2015-16 squad will be captained by senior Donny Goff, with Banarhall serving as the vice-captain.

Goff, a prop from Framingham, Mass., was not active on the fall roster due to injury. He rejoined the team in the spring, recording a score in Army's 37-0 victory over Seton Hall at the Four Leafs Tournament.

A native of Auburn, N.H., Banarhall earned the start in each of the team's nine fall contests. He recorded two scores in the fall, posting tries against Iona and Buffalo. During the spring, he tied for second on the team with five tries, earning two scores against Stony Brook in the title game of the Four Leafs Tournament. He led a second-half comeback in the match with Navy, scoring three times, including the game-tying score and go ahead marks. He was named to the All-Rugby East second team in the fall.

KEY RETURNERS
In addition to Goff and Banarhall, the Black Knights return a plethora of starters, with 10 of the top 15 rejoining the team for the 2015-16 season. Huff highlights the group as the team's leading scorer one season ago, posting a total of 15 tries in 18 games. Junior Fargo recorded 10 tries in the 2014-15 campaign, registering four in the fall and six in the spring.

The Black Knights will also be assisted by junior Andy Sullivan, who earned five tries a season ago, and Thomas Del Pino, who scored three marks in addition to assisting with the kicking game.

Army is filled with senior leadership, as 16 cadet-athletes on the 50-man roster are in their final year at the Academy.

KEY LOSSES
The loss of captain Magee and vice-captain Pearce will create a void for the 2015-16 squad, as both made a dramatic impact for the Black Knights.

Magee, a USA Rugby All-American, posted 14 tries on the season as a flanker. He was one of just three Black Knights to score in at least six of the team's nine fall contests, including the game-winner in the team's upset victory over Kutztown. He was named the American Collegiate Rugby Conference (ACRC) MVP, landed on the All-ACRC first team, garnered All-Rugby East Forward of the Year recognition and was named to the All-Rugby East first team. In the spring, he posted seven tries, including the opening score against service academy foe Navy, before copping All-America honors.

Despite sitting out a majority of the spring season after falling to injury against Air Force, Pearce served as both fullback and kicker for the Black Knights. He finished second on the team in the fall in points scored, posting a total of 51 with three tries, two penalty kicks and 16 conversions. He was named to the All-Rugby East first team and was the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week following the team's 49-0 win over Cornell. Returning to the pitch for the team's D1A National Championships quarterfinal matchup with Davenport, he posted three conversions for a total of nine points as Army dropped the 50-24 decision.

Others graduating from the starting lineup include props Greg Walker and Dave Evans, Ben Foley and Brown.

CADET CHAIN OF COMMAND
Three members of the men's rugby team have been elected into positions of leadership in the cadet chain of command, representing the largest contingent of any corps squad team at the Academy. Borer leads the way as the 4th Regimental Commander, while Cameron Hargis earns the title of 1st Regimental Command Sergeant Major and Goff serves as the 3rd Regimental Command Sergeant Major.

CLASS RINGS
The Class of 2016 received their class rings in a ceremony held at Trophy Point on Aug. 28, 2015. A time-honored West Point tradition, the Class of 2016's rings contain gold from 356 West Point graduates donated to the West Point Association of Graduates in addition to steel melted down from the World Trade Center.

UP NEXT
Army West Point will continue its three-game homestand as they play host to conference foe St. Bonaventure under the lights from Anderson Rugby Complex. The Black Knights defeated the Bonnies by a mark of 36-22 in road action during the 2014-15 season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game is slated to be broadcast on Knight Vision.