Princeton earned its first win of the season on Sunday with a hard-fought 24-12 victory over Niagara at Rickerson Field. Niagara opened the scoring, but the Tigers hit back quickly, took the lead, and held it for the rest of the match. It was a fiercely contested, highly physical game in which both sides made it clear how much the result meant to them, and Princeton’s composure under pressure proved decisive.
Defense laid the foundation. Niagara’s forwards carried hard all afternoon, but Princeton held firm. The backs read Niagara’s attempts to shift their line wide in search of an overlap and shut down the space time after time. In attack, fly-half and backs captain MichaelRay Desombre ’28 and first-year scrum-half Eli Darko ’30 controlled territory with a well-judged kicking game. Across the team, Princeton carried hard to break the gain line and executed the backs’ set plays cleanly.
Princeton’s first four tries of the season came from wing Gabe Nigrovic ’28, Darko, and flanker Luke Eckman ’28, who crossed twice. Desombre added both conversions and was named Man of the Match for his kicking and game management. President Asher Matthias ’27 earned the Hammer for the biggest hit of the day. A week after a tough opener against the reigning champions, this was a statement result, and the squad will look to build on it. Thank you to everyone who came out to Rickerson to support the team.