ALBANY, N.Y. — Amid showers and a raucous crowd at Bob Ford Field, the LIU football team kept the pressure on UAlbany throughout the night in the state capital. 

In a seesaw battle, the Sharks and Great Danes traded blows but it was the home team that came out on top, 27-21.

After giving up an early field goal, LIU drove 83 yards with quarterback Luca Stanzani connecting with tight end Brandon Niemenski on a 21-yard touchdown to go up 7-3. 

Trailing 14-10, Stanzani and the offense struck again with a three-minute drive being finished off with a Michael Love 12-yard touchdown reception. A late 2nd quarter touchdown by the Great Danes put the Sharks down three at halftime.

That deficit didn't last long with another touchdown toss from Stanzani, this time to running back Ludovick Choquette and the Sharks were up 21-17 midway through the third quarter.

However, the 2023 co-Coastal Athletic Association champion Great Danes put together two late scores to take the lead. Stanzani marched the offense down the field on a final drive to try and come away with the win but fell short. 

Despite the loss, the Sharks had the advantage in nearly every key statistical category, notably outpacing UAlbany in first downs (20-12) and total yards (358-255).

Stanzani finished the game 20-for-31 with 179 yards and three touchdowns. Newcomer Choquette had an electric performance running for 128 yards on 15 carries and with four receptions for 22 yards and a touchdown. Love tacked on six catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, redshirt freshman Taveon Wheeler applied consistent pressure, finishing with one sack and two solo tackles for loss while safety JoJo Garcia led the team with six tackles. Rafael Fasolino was all over the field on defense from the linebacker position, picking up two pass breakups. 

LIU returns to action next week against TCU (1-0) at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth with kickoff slated for Saturday, September 7, at 8 p.m. ET. Fans can catch the game on ESPN+.