BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — With Nassau Day in full effect at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium, the LIU faithful watched its Sharks battle with the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in a dramatic back-and-forth matchup.

LIU and Lehigh traded leads throughout the game with the Mountain Hawks pulling out the victory despite a late comeback attempt from the Sharks. 

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman conducted the pregame coin toss and a quick flyover created an compelling and exciting atmosphere for the Sharks home opener.

LIU quarterback Luca Stanzani connected with wide receiver Michael Love on a 13-yard touchdown to get the Sharks on the board first. Two first-half touchdowns from Lehigh gave them a 13-7 advantage heading into halftime.

After forcing a three-and-out to start the second half, the Sharks completed a seven-play, 55-yard drive with another Stanzani connection to Love. The senior wide receiver leads the team with three touchdown receptions on the year.

"I've been trusting our players and trusting our game plan," explains Love when talking about his success in the red zone this season. "We have to play cleaner and we get back to work Monday and get after it with our minds towards next week." Love finished with six catches for 29 yards and two touchdowns. 

A third-quarter score put Lehigh back up 20-14. Sharks kicker Michael Coney finished off the third with a 27-yard field goal to cut the deficit to three. 

A late defensive stand kept LIU in the game, but the Sharks were unable to convert a 4th-and-2 in Lehigh territory, sealing the victory for the Mountain Hawks.

"The guys played hard against a good football team," said head coach Ron Cooper. "We gave ourselves a chance to win and I am pleased with how my guys played. They didn't give up and the great thing about football is we get another chance to do it again next week." 

Stanzani finished 16-for-26 with 154 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while adding 62 yards on the ground. Fellow quarterback Ethan Greenwood saw some daylight on his runs and finished with 66 yards rushing. 

Linebacker Rafael Fasolino led the team with nine tackles, including his first sack of the season. DQ Watkins also picked up his first sack of the year. 

LIU returns home next week for its Homecoming celebration! The Sharks will host Rhode Island at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium with kickoff slated for 12 p.m. and is set to air on NEC Front Row.