BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – LIU hosted its annual homecoming game Saturday, ultimately falling to Villanova 20-16 despite a tightly fought back-and-forth battle.
The Sharks got on the board first, scoring at the 9:09 mark in the second quarter thanks to a 34-yard field goal from
Will Johnson. Johnson's longest of three field goals on the day gave his team an early 3-0 lead.
Villanova would go on to tie things up by the end of the first half on a field goal of their own, and later took a 10-3 lead with 10:01 to play in the third.
The Sharks bridged the gap on Johnson's second field goal of the day – a 28 yarder – with 5:22 to go in the third. The Wildcats pulled ahead 13-6 by the end of the quarter.
LIU stormed back early in the fourth, via a 50-yard
Braylon Vincent interception to tie the game at 13 apiece. Johnson's third field goal of the day (29 yards) with 2:44 remaining in the game gave the Sharks a 16-13 lead.
The Wildcats scored at the 1:08 mark to pull ahead for good.
In addition to Johnson,
Ethan Greenwood was a standout performer for LIU, rushing for a Sharks' season-high of 142 yards.
Rafael Fasolino led LIU's defense with 10 tackles, the second time he's reached double-digits this season.
LIU returns to play on Saturday, Sept. 26, visiting FIU at 6 p.m.
