Box Score The top team in the NEAC came to Lancaster on Wednesday and though they left with a win, the 90-minute battle may end up helping both teams as they go forth with the rest of their seasons.

Penn St. Abington's balanced attack and constant pressure gave the Chargers fits for the first two-thirds of the game, but LBC finished with a strong stand that showed them they can compete with anyone in the NEAC.

The Nittany Lions opened the game with relentless pressure the surprised the Chargers and forced them into several mistakes. Though it took 27 minutes, the Nittany Lions were finally rewarded for their persistence as they earned a free kick from just outside the box. 

Phil Curry's blast from 23 yards out found the back of the net to give Abington a 1-0 lead that they took with them into the halftime break. Abington continued to possess the ball for long stretches of time out of halftime, but the Chargers began to finally apply pressure of their own that resulted in a few scoring chances. 

It was a fluke play that gave the Nittany Lions a two-goal lead with just under 20 minutes to play. Abington's Gustavo Alegria took a shot from inside the box that flew not only towards the goal, but fairly high in the air. Both Gustavo and an LBC defender took off for the ball and the Chargers' defender got to the ball and inadvertently tipped it into the goal to give the Nittany Lions some insurance with 19:53 to play.

The goal however, only made the Chargers work harder as they continued to apply pressure. With just over nine minutes to play, sophomore Josiah Groff collected a ball and scored one of the nicest goals ever seen on Charger Field. Groff's bicycle kick sent the ball into the back of the net and cut the LBC deficit to one.

"Just a great play by Josiah and a really big goal for us at the time," Chargers Head Coach Tom Ardt said. 

LBC (4-7-2, 2-2-1 NEAC) had a few more chances in the final minutes of the game, but the Nittany Lions held strong and held off the Chargers for the victory. The win moves Abington to 10-2 overall and keeps them perfect in NEAC play at 6-0.

"I thought our effort was great against a really tough and really good opponent," Ardt said. "Abington is physical and they are quick."

The physicality didn't bring out the best of the teams at some points of the game as the teams combined for five yellow cards. Despite that, Ardt thought LBC played well, especially goalkeeper Stefan Smith and the back line.

"Stefan stepped up and made some big saves for us again and I thought our defense played well against their constant attack," Ardt said. "Nate Grimley also stepped up and played some big minutes for us back there because of some injuries."

Smith made eight saves on the day, as Abington outshot the Chargers, 20-7.

The Chargers will look to rebound on Saturday when they host SUNY Cobleskill at 1 p.m. LBC will honor its seniors on Saturday as part of Senior Day.