PRINCETON, N.J. —  The LIU men's water polo team opened the Princeton Invitational on Friday.
 
The Sharks continued to play tough competition as they fell to No. 15 California Baptist 24-6 in their first match.
 
In the second match LIU faced off against Wagner and although they played much better, they fell once again 13-10.
 
"The difference between the morning game and the Wagner game was night and day," head coach Gabby Juarez said. "Although we were down two starters in the fourth quarter, we looked a lot better on defense. It's a loss in the record book, but it's a mini-win because it shows that we're going in the right direction."
 
Riyad Shehadeh and Josep Jodra Muñoz, two of the Sharks' leading goal scorers, combined for eight goals.
 
The story of the match however, was the great play of Wagner transfers Ethan Zirh and Karl Lovett.
 
Zirh once again played very well in goal, making 19 saves against the Seahawks. Lovett had his best game of the season so far against his old team, scoring five goals and recording five assists.

"I'm buddies with a lot of guys on the team, so I definitely had this marked on the calendar for months," Lovett said. "I just wanted to show out for my new teammates and it was just a lot fun. We were having fun out there."
 
The Sharks return to the pool Sunday morning as they take on Santa Clara at 8 a.m. in Princeton.