West Point looked very impressive in shutting out St. Bonaventure 29-0 Saturday in Rugby East play.

Ranked #5 among D1A-level teams by Goff Rugby Report, the Black Knights got tries from Isaac Marret, Koikoui Nelligan, Gerard McCarron, and Scharl du Toit to down #16 St. Bonaventure. Sean McNulty converted three and added a penalty goal. Army is now 2-0 in the Rugby East.

Look fresh off a bye week Army scored just four minutes into the game when Marret went over and McNulty converted.

McNulty kept the scoreboard ticking over with a penalty five minutes later. Bonnies clamped down defensively and had some opportunities, but the Army defense was up to the tack. Finally, the Black Knights were able to turn the ball over and put Nelligan through with 11 minutes left in the first half to make it 15-0.

St. Bonaventure came out fighting in the second half, but once again the West Point defense held firm. The game stayed at 15-0 until the 69th minute when McCaron scored.

Du Toit finished it up with a try that he converted.

"It was a great overall team win," said Tiaan Mosconi. "Coming into this game we talked about coming off the bye week with goals to continue our climb. This win was a foot in the right direction but there is still work to be done. As a team we are ready to get back after it this coming week." 

"We knew coming into this match it would be our greatest challenge to date," added Jonny Haley. "Coming off a bye week and traveling to St. Bonnies on their family weekend, we were faced with many distractions. However, the Brothers stuck together and fought the entire game. Even in times of pressure during the game we kept our composure and discipline which resulted in a shutout performance. I'm very proud of this entire week and how we performed today. We are looking forward to our next challenge and to continue our climb as a team."

Army Head Coach Matt Sherman said he was more impressed with the defense and the shutout than anything else.

"To shut out a potent St. Bonaventure back line took a high level of effort and execution. But I'm even more excited about the better rugby we have in us but haven't reached yet," said Sherman. "We were one pass away on multiple occasions and weren't able to execute and I look forward to making those improvements going forward."