Author: am8724

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.

Princeton opened its fall campaign in Cambridge against Northeastern, last season’s conference champions and one of the toughest opponents on the schedule. Northeastern were clinical, punishing missed tackles and slow support at the breakdown, and their aggressive line speed made it difficult for Princeton to run its set plays cleanly. Northeastern ran out 75-0 winners, and the match gave the squad a clear benchmark for the season ahead.

There was plenty to build on. Four players made their Princeton debuts, three first-years and one sophomore, a promising sign of the program’s growing depth. The set piece was a genuine strength, with the scrum and lineout both solid throughout. The backs produced several promising phases across the match, highlighted by strong runs and line breaks from first-year scrum-half Eli Darko ’30 and sophomore outside centre Emmett Appel ’29, a direct reflection of the work done on the training pitch.

Above all, the match showed the character of this group. Nearly the entire squad played the full 80 minutes, and the effort never dropped, whatever the score. Israel Adeboga ’28 was named Man of the Match, and first-year Dean Giess ’30 earned the Hammer for the biggest hit of the day. The team carried the lessons from Northeastern straight into training ahead of its home match against Niagara. Thank you to everyone who made the trip to support the team.