Army West Point Athletics
Saturday, March 14
West Point, N.Y.
11:00 a.m.
Army West Point
vs
California
Photo by: Walter Schmidlin
Men’s Rugby to Face Defending National Champion Cal at Home Saturday
March 13, 2026 | Men's Rugby
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The first home match of the Spring 2026 season for Army men's rugby is a big one.
The California Bears, a year removed from a CRAA D1A National Title, and a week removed from a 52-45 win over No. 1-ranked Navy, come to Anderson Rugby Complex to face the Black Knights on Saturday, with kickoff set for 11:00 a.m.
Army sits at 8-2 on the year and 1-0 in the spring following a win over St. Thomas in its spring opener. The Black Knights were also 4-2 vs. Rugby East foes in the fall.
Cal meanwhile sits at 11-0 in 15s matches this year, having competed strictly in 7s matches through October.
"Cal has historically set the standard in college rugby and they're arguably the best team in the country right now, so we're excited for the challenge. Our focus is on creating a new best in ourselves, and we're confident the preparation our guys have put in has put us in a position to do so. We believe if we get that right, we can be in a position to earn a victory," said head coach Matt Sherman.
"We are very grateful for this opportunity this upcoming Saturday against Cal. They are a very gifted team with an incredible attack. Two years ago, our team made history beating them on our home pitch for the first time ever. Now we see ourselves again with the same opportunity to capitalize on. I have the utmost faith in my teammates and coaches to lead us into this match on Saturday," said George Engels.
"We have put in a lot of work this offseason, and we feel confident and prepared to take the field against a great Cal side this weekend. We are excited for the opportunity to put up our best performance of the season yet," said Isaac Gamboa.
Army notched its first ever varsity win over Cal two seasons ago at Anderson. Facing the Bears in Berkeley last year, a Black Knight rally from multiple scores down in the second half ran out of time in a close 24-19 loss.
In Army's spring opener at St. Thomas (FL) on February 28, the Black Knights raced out to a 57-14 win. Jacob Bottarini found the try zone twice as Army would jump out to a quick 24-0 lead in the first half and not look back.
Howie Heller currently leads Army with 70 total points on the season, by way of 19 conversions, nine penalties and a try. John Benson and Chance Loudenback share the team lead with six tries each.
Next Up
Army closes the regular season on March 21 at home vs. Guelph, the same team the Black Knights opened the season 2025-26 with back on September 6. The fixture marks the second leg of the inaugural Cannon Cup.
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.
The California Bears, a year removed from a CRAA D1A National Title, and a week removed from a 52-45 win over No. 1-ranked Navy, come to Anderson Rugby Complex to face the Black Knights on Saturday, with kickoff set for 11:00 a.m.
Army sits at 8-2 on the year and 1-0 in the spring following a win over St. Thomas in its spring opener. The Black Knights were also 4-2 vs. Rugby East foes in the fall.
Cal meanwhile sits at 11-0 in 15s matches this year, having competed strictly in 7s matches through October.
"Cal has historically set the standard in college rugby and they're arguably the best team in the country right now, so we're excited for the challenge. Our focus is on creating a new best in ourselves, and we're confident the preparation our guys have put in has put us in a position to do so. We believe if we get that right, we can be in a position to earn a victory," said head coach Matt Sherman.
"We are very grateful for this opportunity this upcoming Saturday against Cal. They are a very gifted team with an incredible attack. Two years ago, our team made history beating them on our home pitch for the first time ever. Now we see ourselves again with the same opportunity to capitalize on. I have the utmost faith in my teammates and coaches to lead us into this match on Saturday," said George Engels.
"We have put in a lot of work this offseason, and we feel confident and prepared to take the field against a great Cal side this weekend. We are excited for the opportunity to put up our best performance of the season yet," said Isaac Gamboa.
Army notched its first ever varsity win over Cal two seasons ago at Anderson. Facing the Bears in Berkeley last year, a Black Knight rally from multiple scores down in the second half ran out of time in a close 24-19 loss.
In Army's spring opener at St. Thomas (FL) on February 28, the Black Knights raced out to a 57-14 win. Jacob Bottarini found the try zone twice as Army would jump out to a quick 24-0 lead in the first half and not look back.
Howie Heller currently leads Army with 70 total points on the season, by way of 19 conversions, nine penalties and a try. John Benson and Chance Loudenback share the team lead with six tries each.
Next Up
Army closes the regular season on March 21 at home vs. Guelph, the same team the Black Knights opened the season 2025-26 with back on September 6. The fixture marks the second leg of the inaugural Cannon Cup.
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.
Players Mentioned
Hooker/Backrow
/ Men's Rugby
Hooker
/ Men's Rugby
Lock
/ Men's Rugby
Scrumhalf
/ Men's Rugby
Scrumhalf
/ Men's Rugby
Center
/ Men's RugbyArmy vs Air Force
Saturday, October 29
Army vs St. Bonaventure
Sunday, October 02
Army vs Kutztown
Friday, September 09
Army vs. Life
Saturday, April 16