Sharks Road Win Spoils Duquesne’s Homecoming
BY: VICTOR THOMAS / STAFF WRITER
The LIU Sharks racked up another important win in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, last Saturday against their conference rival, the Duquesne Dukes. It was a close battle for the Sharks, and they fortunately came out on top with a final score of 17-14 at Rooney Field. This game put the Sharks in first place in the NEC.
This was the first time Duquesne had lost a home conference opener since 2018, and it was their first loss in the homecoming game since 2022. The Sharks' confidence going into Pittsburgh was strong enough to end these streaks for the Dukes.
LIU rode the wave of momentum coming into this matchup after a much-needed victory over Mercyhurst on Oct. 3. They were able to continue their success in this game, leading them to 2-5 on the season. More importantly, LIU started 2-0 in conference play for the first time since joining the NEC in 2019.
This was a come-from-behind win for the Sharks. LIU was trailing 14-3 late in the first half. The Sharks improved the score to 14-10 as they entered the fourth quarter, before scoring a touchdown to take the lead and ultimately win the game.
LIU won the rushing game once again, finishing with 116 yards on the ground compared to only 93 from the Dukes. Sharks quarterback Luca Stanzani picked up 44 yards on the ground while running backs Sam Slade and Jesiah McKnight finished with 30+ rushing yards each.
Slade continued his touchdown scoring, with one through the air on a nine-yard pass from Stanzani in the closing minutes of the first half. Slade’s other score was the game-winning touchdown on the ground on a five-yard rush early in the fourth quarter. Stanzani improved his passing game as well, finishing with 156 yards on 10 of 13 passes and one touchdown pass.
The defense played a huge role for the Sharks in this one, forcing two interceptions from Dukes quarterback Carson Camp. They were also able to slow down the strong run game of Duquesne to hold on to the win. The Dukes' rushing attack racked up 251 rushing yards in their last outing against Rio Grande.
LIU is looking to continue this strong level of play on both sides of the ball as they enter into the rest of their conference games in the second half of the season. Picking up a third straight win in conference play would be enormous for the Sharks as they make a playoff push.
The Sharks are on the road again this Saturday. The team will be travelling to Staten Island to face off against the Wagner Seahawks at 5 p.m. The Seahawks fell to 1-5 on the season after losing to the Princeton Tigers last Saturday, 28-13 at home.
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