WEST POINT, N.Y.- The Royals traveled to Army for a challenging road matchup, but the day proved to be a difficult one as they fell 75-7 to a strong Army side.
The Royals opened the match with a glimpse of brilliance. After a well-worked grubber kick from
Zach Colson, Agustin Mullany gathered the ball and scored, and calmly slotted the kick to give the Royals an early 7-0 lead.
After that bright start, however, the match quickly turned in Army's favor.
Army responded with two quick tries to take a 14-7 lead with 20 minutes remaining in the first half. The Royals continued to battle and put together several phases of attack, but they struggled to turn those opportunities into points.
Each time the Royals crossed the gain line and built momentum, Army eventually shut down the attack, either knocking the Royals back or forcing a turnover. Army's pressure and defensive organization made it difficult for the Royals to maintain possession and build sustained attacks.
The Royals also struggled significantly in the lineout, losing more than 60 percent of their own throws. The scrum, however, was a much brighter area for the team, with the Royals performing well against a strong Army pack.
Head Coach
Tyree Reed acknowledged the difficulty of the afternoon and said the match exposed areas of the Royals' game that need improvement.
"It was a long day for us on the pitch," Reed said. "Army exposed everything we did wrong. We missed the detail today, and we must learn from this loss. I told the boys after the match that we must continue to stack the positives and learn from the failures, both as coaches and players."
Team Captain
Keanin Kamp viewed the match as an important opportunity for the Royals to measure themselves against a high-quality opponent.
"It was a really great opportunity to test our skills against a high-quality team and see which areas of our game need more focus and which areas of our game work well for us," Kamp said.
Despite the difficult result, the Royals will look to take the lessons from the match and use them to improve as they return home.
The Royals' next match will be at home against Southern Virginia University. The game will also serve as the team's Back-to-School Night, allowing students and supporters to come out and cheer on the Royals. The first 100 students through the gates will receive free pizza and soda.
