It's a little strange that arguably the most historic season in Lancaster Bible College history ends with a penalty shootout loss and a shutout loss, but that's exactly what happened to the LBC women's soccer team on Saturday.

The Chargers, playing in the school's first-ever NCAA Division III National Tournament game, lost to second-ranked William Smith, 6-0 in Geneva, N.Y. on Saturday.

The Herons' Kate Redmond scored 7:52 into the game, which for a team that has allowed just one goal all season long, put them in the driver's seat. When Krista Longo scored with 3:40 left in the first half, it was all but over for the Chargers.

"William Smith had very organized possession," Chargers' Head Coach Ken Craul said. "They always had players making runs off give-and-go's, which we had trouble defending. I thought we played pretty well in the first half, but it was disappointing give up that first goal so early."

The Herons' Whitney Frary scored 7:52 into the second half and the rout was on as William Smith added three more goals later in the second half for a 6-0 victory. LBC's Emily Lloyd made a season-high 15 saves.

"This was a good chance for us to see a very talented team, one of the best in the nation," Craul said. "It was good to see where we stand."

Though they lost in the first round, Craul said he was proud of the team and how much they had accomplished this season.

"It was a great achievement to make it to the NCAA Division III Tournament," Craul said. "It's something only 63 other teams can say."

LBC, which finishes 18-2-1, won the program's first-ever NCCAA East Region Championship, won the NEAC regular season championship and received the NEAC's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

In addition to the team awards, Ally Brown was named NEAC Player of the Year, four of her teammates, Jenna Godwin, Kristina Clairmont, Whitney Heise and Emily Lloyd were named to the NEAC First Team. Lloyd was also named NEAC Goalkeeper of the year, while Craul was NEAC Coach of the Year.

LBC scored 73 goals, the second most in program history, and allowed just 16. Eight of those goals allowed have come in the last two games. Brown finishes the season with 49 points [18 goals, 13 assists], the second most in school history, while Heise finishes with 19 goals, also the second most in school history. LBC's 18-game winning streak [Sept. 6 - Nov. 6] is the longest for any sport in school history. The list can go on-and-on.

As Craul said after last Sunday's loss to Penn St. Abington, "One loss will not define our season." A simple look at the numbers takes care of that, but anyone who watched a game or was around this team, knows their season was much more than one game. They've changed the attitude and have laid the foundations for many years to come. Go Chargers Go.