While all eyes were on Army’s 22 seniors and a number of other upperclassmen, three freshmen managed to make a statement of their own in the Black Knights’ opening-day 16-9 victory over host UMass Saturday.
The plebes Brayden Fountain, Hill Plunkett and Aidan Weisenbron combined for eight goals in the victory over the Minutemen and in an instant added a new wrinkle and some more depth to the 2025 squad that is currently ranked 13th in the nation and may be among the best Black Knights teams in decades.
“Honestly, I am just really happy and blessed to have this opportunity,” said Fountain, who comes from Acworth, Ga., the same town as Army starting goalie Sean Byrne. “During the entire game, I was just laughing and smiling and just happy to be part of this experience. It was not like that before the game started. I was pretty nervous and even had to watch golf (on video) to calm down a bit. But, once I got on the field, I quickly realized how cool it is to be in this position.”
Fountain, who scored four times in the game, was close to playing for Navy instead of Army. Looking for an opportunity to serve the nation, he first committed to Navy but in December 2023 decommitted and soon chose West Point, partially because of conversations with Byrne and partially because of a quick connection with the Army coaching staff.
Once at West Point, he paired off with Hill Plunkett, brother of all-American Army junior midfielder Evan Plunkett, and Weisenborn and the three quickly bonded.
“The three of us have worked very hard in practice together and it is fantastic to see that the hard work is starting to pay off,” Fountain added. “But, a lot of this is also due to the way the other players have welcomed us to the team. On the very first day we stepped on to the field, they made us feel welcomed and have been super encouraging. That has made it easier for us to come here and make a difference.”
On Saturday, Army jumped out to a 7-1 lead thanks to three goals by senior Jackson Eicher, two by Fountain and single goals by Evan Plunkett and Ryan Sellew. But the Minutemen came storming back, cutting the Army lead to 7-4 at halftime.
With Hill Plunkett and Weisenborn each scoring twice, the Black Knights outscored UMass, 6-1, in the third period to take an insurmountable 13-5 lead into the fourth quarter. Eicher, Army’s leading scorer last season, finished with four goals and four assists, while senior faceoff specialist Will Coletti won 15 of 23 faceoffs and secured nine groundballs.
“I was really happy with a number of things,” said Army coach Joe Alberici. “The first is the way we came out and took the fight right to UMass and go up 6-0 and then, after they stabilized in the second quarter, we answered right back in the third quarter. Hopefully, that becomes the tone for the rest of the year.
“Another thing I was very pleased with was the play of those freshman. It is a great way to start for them and, frankly, I was not surprised at all. They have been doing great things in practice. A third was how well Sean Byrne played in net. He made some really great saves after UMass made that run in the second quarter and that gave us the momentum again.”
Army meets Rutgers in its home opener, next Saturday at noon, at Michie Stadium
