2012 Record: 4-10-3, 2-6-2 NEAC
 
2012 Postseason: Did not qualify
 
Losses: Miles Herron (led team with seven goals, 16 points, elected not to return to school); Sean Westerlund (2^nd on the team with five goals, 12 points); Dwight Shelly (three goals, four-year player); Richard Westerlund (key defender, four-year player); Wes Smith (season-ending injury during offseason, will be back in 2014); Dave Hunsberger (6'6" defender, elected not to return to school); Tim Landis, Jr. (started 16 of 17 games in goal last season, four-year player)
 
Additions: Josiah Groff (played on Messiah's 2010 national championship team, named one of the team's three captains for this season); Marc Cooper (from South Africa); Branden Peiffer; Kurt Keltner; Joel Cutting (played for the Chargers as a freshman in 2010); Marquis Boone; Ben Noel; Cody Rupp; Matt Nargi; Andrew Kofstad (goalkeeper); Denis Tarasov (goalkeeper); Dan Karl (goalkeeper).
 
Returners:
Stefan Smith – Saw action in two games as a goalkeeper in 2012, but will be starting goalkeeper this season
Zac Bonomo – Midfielder, started 15 of 16 games he appeared in 2012
Brandon Wilcox – Team captain, four-year player, defender
Bradley Wilcox – Scored three goals in 12 games last season
Kevin Forsyth – Third year with Chargers, senior, had two goals and an assist last season
Alex Vocature – Scored two goals in 10 games as a freshman last year
Jordan Harbin – Lockdown defender, started all 17 games last season
Kyle Lambertson – Team captain, four-year player, started 14 of 17 games last season
Nathan Grimley – Midfield, coaches say he has changed as a player, strong, fit
Ethan Toomey – Scored a goal in 15 games as a freshman last season

 
It might be difficult, but there's always reason for optimism at the beginning of a season, especially after a 4-10-3 season in which the Lancaster Bible men's soccer team didn't qualify for any postseason play for the first time since 2005.
 
Needing to win seven games to qualify for the NCCAA East Region playoffs, the Chargers had to sit and watch Valley Forge Christian and Cairn play in the East Region Final. Their 2-6-2 record in North Eastern Athletic Conference play was good enough for 8^th place in an 11-team league and thus they also missed out on that postseason.
 
Where's the optimism you ask?
 
That would be found in the leadership from the team's three captains as well as the crop of newcomers who are hungry to change the tone from last season. Gone is last season's leading scorer, Miles Herron, as well as the Westerlund twins, Sean and Richard. Gone too is starting goalkeeper Tim Landis, Jr. and four-year player Dwight Shelly. And while that might scare some coaching staffs and teams, the Chargers have found a renewed spirit because of their youthful spirit and solid foundation.
 
This year's captains are a strange mix of longevity, talent and hard work. Brandon Wilcox and Kyle Lambertson are the senior captains, while newcomer Josiah Groff makes up the third part of the trifecta. Lambertson and Wilcox have paid their dues, worked hard and fought for their spots on the squad all four years at LBC. They played in a combined eight games as freshman and just 24 as sophomores. Last year however, they were given a chance to start and flourished as they played all 17 games.
 
"Our leadership stands out thus far because we have two guys who know what it's like to not play, to just practice and watch the games," Chargers' Head Coach Tom Ardt said. "They've worked hard for starting spots and the drive they have is spilling over to the other players on the team. Guys see Brandon and Kyle and think, if the captains have to work that hard, well then I surely have to work that hard."
 
Groff, a sophomore who played on Messiah's 2010 National Championship team, got to LBC during the spring semester and has embraced his role as a team leader.
 
"Josiah jelled with the guys from the very start," Ardt. "His play on the field and his natural ability to lead has been great to watch."
 
Like the LBC women's volleyball team (Wednesday's fall preview), the men's soccer team may not have any star players right now, but that is just fine with Ardt and the coaching staff.
 
"Our team is about growth and progress," Ardt said. "We aren't about stats, we just want to keep getting better every time we get on the field."
 
One spot of growth this preseason has been the play of the defenders. Wilcox, Joel Cutting and Jordan Harbin will log many of the minutes this season in the back and Ardt has been happy with their progress so far.
 
"Our starting defenders have done a great job and they do a great job of disrupting the offense," Ardt said. "In our scrimmage with Albright, they frustrated many of the Albright players and I think if they can continue to excel in their one-on-one battles, we should be fine."
 
Ardt mentioned there will be many players who play in the midfield this season, thus the system the Chargers play will most likely dictate how LBC fares there this season.
 
"Zac [Bonomo], Josiah [Groff], Ben [Noel] and Kurt [Keltner] are all going to make their impact in their own way," Ardt said. "Zac is a pest, Josiah can move the ball, Ben is smart and Kurt is just an athlete. We also have Kyle [Lambertson] who is the most confident I've ever seen him with the ball and Nate [Grimley] who is much faster and stronger this year after he worked so hard during the summer months to improve his fitness. I really like what we have in the midfield."
 
Not wanting to neglect his forwards, but at the same time not give much away, Ardt simply said the guys up top would be quick.
 
And while it is the start of the season and there is a lot of optimism, there is also a few causes for concern.
 
"Losing Wes Smith and Dave Hunsberger has left a bit of a hole defensively," Ardt said. "We basically had to adjust the entire structure of the team because of those losses, but the guys have responded well and done a great job with the changes."
 
Ardt also talked about the Chargers' transition from defense to offense.
 
"We defended well in our scrimmage with Albright and got some offensive chances off our defense simply clearing the ball out of our end, but we don't want to become too predictable," Ardt said. "We need to make sure we utilize our speed when we can."
 
Despite a few concerns, Ardt remains very encouraged by the early progress of the Chargers, specifically about the chemistry of the team.
 
"The coaching staff has talked very little about team chemistry, because we simply haven't had to," Ardt said. "The guys have formed this natural chemistry that I can't really describe. They stay after practice to play more soccer, pray with each other or simply stand around and get to know one another."
 
Ardt said he is excited about the chemistry because of the long-term affects it can have.
 
"We are a family and when a family can take time to get to know one another, great things can happen," Ardt said. "We can't always be together in the offseason because of NCAA rules, but just knowing how close the guys already are, means I won't have to worry if they are working hard in the offseason."
 
While no predictions were hashed out for the on-the-record report, Ardt did say he expects the Chargers to return to the postseason, both in the NEAC and the NCCAA East Region. With the strong leadership and team dynamic that has already taken shape, it may not be surprising to see the Chargers playing in late October or early November, gunning for their first-ever NEAC Championship or a third NCCAA East Region Championship in the past five years.