BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — The LIU men's soccer team nearly overcame a self-imposed obstacle on Friday afternoon.

Playing a man down, Michael Mollica converted a penalty kick in the 53rd minute past former LIU goalkeeper Demetri Skoumbakis to even the score.

However, Fordham answered with a goal in the 88th minute and the Rams handed the Sharks their first defeat of the season, 2-1,  at LIU Soccer Park.

LIU, ranked third in the Northeast Region, dropped to 2-1.

The Sharks played a man down the remainder of the match after striker Emil Jaaskelainen in the 49th minute picked up his second yellow card.

It marked the second straight match that LIU picked up a red card. Matthias Heiland sat out against the Rams after picking up a red card in a 2-1 win against Iona on Monday.

Yet without strikers Ben Assane Fall — who was injured in the season opener against Stony Brook — as well as Jaaskelainen with the red card, LIU rallied against Fordham while down a man. Mollica buried the penalty kick into the left side of the net to pull the Sharks even after a penalty kick was awarded for a handball in the box.

Jaaskelainen also had sat out the season opener after picking up a red card in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Saint Louis last season.

Meanwhile, Skoumbakis, a graduate transfer to Fordham, was playing against his former team on Friday. He was a valedictorian and double-major in mathematics and economics and produced a 4.0 GPA during his undergraduate studies at LIU.

Freshman Sam Keogan made his first collegiate start for the Sharks.

After three straight home matches to open the season, LIU now hits the road for the first time this season. The Sharks play at Hofstra on Tuesday at 7 p.m.