Army Men's Soccer came out victorious 2-1 against Bucknell on Oct. 25 at Malek Stadium at Clinton Field. With the Senior Day win Army moves to 2-8-3 on the season with a 1-6-0 mark in Patriot League play and moves Bucknell to 6-8-1 overall, with a 3-3-1 conference record.
Prior to the game eight seniors were recognized for the Black Knights; captains Kelly Cooper and Owen Ennis, Owen Mejia, Colin McCarthy, Daniel Gormley, Keanu Likewise, Jubril Bamgbala and Riley Cullum.
How it Happened:The Black Knights applied offensive pressure right out of the gate, testing Bucknell goalkeeper Thomas Yerbury in the opening minute with a shot from Jubril Bamgbala that was saved. Both sides traded chances through the early portion of the match, with Army goalkeeper Blair Camargo making a pair of crucial stops against Bucknell's Jack Lucas and Drew Roskos to keep the contest scoreless.The Black Knights broke through in the 29' mark to take the lead. Following a sustained offensive possession, Riley Cullum fed the ball to Bamgbala, who buried his fourth goal of the season to give Army West Point a 1-0 advantage. Army carried that momentum through the remainder of the first half, outshooting the Bison 7-5 in the opening 45 minutes to take their one-goal lead into the half.Bucknell came out of the locker room aggressively in the second half and ultimately outshot the Black Knights 11-4 in the final period. Camargo stood tall against the Bison chances early in the frame, recording crucial saves on shots from Zain Elder and Jacob Thomas to preserve the lead. However, a foul in the box by Army in the 73' awarded the Bison a critical opportunity to equalize. Lucas stepped up to the penalty spot and converted the penalty kick for a goal, leveling the score at 1-1.Despite the equalizer and pressure from Bucknell, the Black Knights weathered the storm and responded. Moments after Camargo made another save on a shot by Viktor Permyashkin in the 79', Army subbed in Liam Tucker. The substitution paid off immediately when in the 82' Tucker set up Jack De Simone, for the game-winning goal. De Simone's third of the season put the Black Knights back in front, 2-1.Camargo thwarted a late strike from Bucknell's Drew Roskos in the 84' to secure Army's first home and conference win of the season, sealing a hard-fought Senior Day triumph for the Black Knights.