LIU football wraps season with road win over Sacred Heart

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Luca Stanzani threw for four touchdowns and ran for another and LIU closed the season with its fourth victory in a row, 37-34, over Sacred Heart on Saturday.

The Sharks (4-7, 4-3 Northeast Conference) built a 37-10 lead when Stanzani ran it in from 13 yards with 3:32 left in the third quarter. The Pioneers (5-6, 3-5) then scored 24 unanswered points in a six-minute stretch, ending with Sam Renzi’s 30-yard field goal to make it 37-34 with 10:45 left in the game.

Sacred Heart reached the LIU 4-yard line on that drive but Qualil Lumpkins and Michael Coney sacked quarterback Cade Pribula back at the 14 to force the field goal. The Sharks’ Eric O’Neill clinched the game by sacking Pribula near midfield with 1:42 left. Stanzani, a true freshman, threw three of his TD passes to Michael Love (71, 41 and 10 yards).

For SHU, Pribula and Rob McCoy combined to go 15-for-25 for 327 yards and two TDs and Malik Grant ran for 105 yards and two TDs. After losing their first seven games, three in the NEC, the Sharks finished third in the league.