Men’s Rugby Cruises to Win Over Penn State

Friday, November 7

West Point, N.Y.

6:00 p.m.

Army West Point

Penn State

Men’s Rugby Cruises to Win Over Penn State

November 07, 2025 | Men's Rugby

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point men's rugby exploded out to a five-score lead before halftime over the Penn State Nittany Lions, on its way to a 55-14 home win to improve to 7-1 on the season.

The Black Knights also move to 4-1 vs. Rugby East foes, with one fixture to play in the fall campaign.

Chance Loudenback, Isaac Gamboa and John Benson each added a pair of tries, and Howie Heller added seven total points in Army's win.

"Tonight was a positive step in our season's journey. We showed improvement in many aspects of our performance, and growth in our overall performance overall, which is our primary objective," said head coach Matt Sherman.

"It was awesome to be back at Warrior Field in front of an electric home crowd. The boys put on a performance we're proud of, and we are excited to empty the tank for the final push of the fall season," said Gamboa.

"Tonight was a great representation of what happens when we focus on our new best as a team. We have more stuff to work on, but we are excited for where we are at and the opportunity we have next week against Navy," said Loudenback.

And while the Black Knights gave up a pair of quick tries ahead of the half, Army outscored Penn State—coached by Zac Mizell, the brother of Army assistant coach Jake Mizell—15-0 in the second half.

Heller opened the scoring for Army with a penalty inside four minutes, and the Black Knights found the try zone four minutes later, with Isaac Gamboa collecting the ball in the shadow of the goalpost and gliding in for the five points.

After Benson took a late pitch in the 13', scored, and gave way for a Heller conversion, Gamboa found the try zone once again in the 17.'

In the 23', Andrew Bardak was carried into the try zone by a swarm of Black Knights providing push, extending the lead to 25-0 to the delight of the boisterous crowd at Anderson Rugby Complex. Kolbet Schrichte and Cort Schmidlin then followed with tries before halftime to make it 35-0.

Penn State did score 14 unanswered in the minutes before the break, and the Black Knights didn't get back on the board until the 51', but after Heller's second penalty of the contest, it was all Army down the stretch as it recaptured its early momentum, with a pair of Loudenback tries sandwiched by a Benson score.

Match Scoresheet

4' | Howie Heller – Penalty 3-0

8' | Isaac Gamboa – Try 8-0

13' | John Benson – Try                                                   13-0
Howie Heller – Conversion 15-0

17' | Isaac Gamboa – Try 20-0

23' | Andrew Bardak – Try 25-0

30' | Kolbet Schrichte – Try 30-0

34' | Cort Schmidlin – Try 35-0

36' | Penn State – Try                                                        35-5
Penn State – Conversion 35-7

40' | Penn State – Try 35-12
Penn State – Conversion 35-14

51' | Howie Heller – Penalty 38-14

61' | Chance Loudenback – Try 43-14

76' | John Benson – Try                                                   48-14

80' | Chance Loudenback – Try 53-14
Kolbet Schrichte – Try                                                     55-14

Next Up

Army concludes the fall season next weekend with a November 15 matchup vs. Navy. Kickoff for the match—part of the Star Series presented by USAA—is set for 4:00 p.m. from Anderson Rugby Complex.

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.