After edging out a win against Millersville on the opening day of the season, Princeton continued its winning ways with an impressive performance against Ivy League rival Columbia and secured a 38-29 victory. Columbia came into the game brimming with confidence after its stunning 18-12 upset of Ivy League Champions Brown last weekend. The Lions were expected to provide a much sterner challenge than Millersville.
Princeton's task proved more difficult indeed with the news that captain Nick Martin was unable to recover in time for the match after sustaining a knock against Millersville. Combined with junior Forrest Hull’s injury, the Tigers were missing two important players from the starting lineup but welcomed back junior Michael Rice to full starting duties after a cameo appearance last weekend.
However, the Tigers started out fairly slowly and were promptly punished when they allowed Columbia to capitalize on some slack defending with a quick try only two minutes after the kickoff. The Tigers remained resilient in spite of this early score and responded right away with a try of their own when junior Ali Alami continued his spectacular try-scoring form as he bulldozed through the Columbia defense after quickly taking a penalty.
Princeton and Columbia then traded tries to keep the game tied at 14-14. Just before the break, Rice pierced through the Columbia defense with some agility and determination before picking out sophomore Mohamed Shalan for an easy try. Senior captain Will Hicks once again converted the try, again proving that he is one of the best kickers in the Ivy League. This late score allowed Princeton to enter the break with a 21-17 lead.
Princeton once again failed to start the half with the requisite drive and allowed Columbia to dominate possession. However, the Tigers defended stoutly, and the Lions could not break through to score a try. A Hicks penalty allowed the Orange and Black to extend its advantage.
Just as in the Millersville game, injuries started to pile up for the team, with junior Jimmy Sarbanes picking up a nasty injury that may leave him sidelined for a few weeks.
This injury seemed to be the turning point in the game, as Columbia stormed back with two very quick tries in the span of five minutes. Taking advantage of Princeton’s lackadaisical defending and tired tackling, Columbia quickly broke through twice to reclaim the lead and extend its advantage to 29-24. However, the Lions' kicker struck the post and missed a crucial conversion, which would have extended the lead to a converted try.
With only 10 minutes left in the game, a seemingly down-and-out Princeton side needed to respond strongly if it was to win the game. And respond it did. With time running out, the home side managed to snatch the victory from the visitors with a well-worked try to equalize. A challenging conversion from Hicks to push the score to 31-29 was met with loud cheers from both the crowd and the players. The players then added icing to the cake with a try just before time ran out to finalize an impressive 38-29 victory.
Speaking after the game, Alami was delighted with the win, saying: “It was a hugely exciting game that at times looked like it could have gone either way. Our forward pack was hit hard with injuries, with four of the eight forwards not being able to complete the game. However, we dug really deep and managed to pull off a great win at the end.”
This contest was truly an advertisement for the game and was an important victory for the Tigers as they opened their Ivy League campaign in an exciting fashion.
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