2012 Record: 17-5, 11-1 NEAC
 
2012 Postseason: Defeated Baptist Bible, 2-1 to win NCCAA East Region Championship; Defeated Penn St. Harrisburg, 3-0 in NEAC Semifinals; Defeated Penn St. Berks, 2-0 to win NEAC Championship; Lost to Johns Hopkins, 5-0 in First Round of NCAA Division III National Tournament
 
Losses: Whitney Heise (20 goals, 11 assists, all-time program leader in goals and points); Ally Brown (8 goals, one assist, had 100 points in three seasons with LBC); Kathryn Ritter (5 goals, 3 assists); Amanda Bracelin (2 goals); Kelsee Perkins (Four-year defender); Emily Lloyd (Starting goalkeeper past three seasons, 1.10 GAA last season, seven shutouts)
 
Additions: Kaitlyn Scheuing (So., goalkeeper); Meaghan Williams (Jr., midfielder); Alyssa Wesner (Fr., midfield); Brianne Lieb (Fr., midfield); Kirsten Webster (Fr., forward); Liz Davis (Fr., midfield); Joanna Shughart (Fr., defense); Naomi Otis (Fr., midfield); Lindsey Horning (Fr., midfield); Hannah Reichard (So., played in 2010, scored eight goals and added two assists)
 
Returners:
Monica Horning – NEAC Player of the Year in 2012, 20 goals, 9 assists, 49 points, five game-winning goals
Bethany Stein – NEAC 2^nd Team All-Conference in 2012, 11 goals, 9 assists, 31 points
Evelyn Stauffer – Five goals, four assists in 22 games last season
Shannon McNally – Three goals in 10 games in 2012
Brooke Cullum – A goal and two assists in 11 games last season
Olivia Rentzel – A goal and an assist in 17 games last season
Anne Hayward – Lockdown defender, started all 21 games she appeared in during 2012 season
Sarah Heilenman – Started and appeared in 21 games, anchored defense that allowed just 1.09 goals per game.
Danielle Good – Appeared in 16 games in 2012, starting four of them
Christy Lorah – Strong freshman season as a defender in 2012, appeared in all 22 games
Cheyenne Benson – Scored a goal in five games played in 2012
 
 
Over the past two days, we've previewed the women's volleyball and men's soccer teams and one of the main themes to those articles was the fact that many of the seniors who enjoyed stellar, even record-book-breaking careers, were no longer around due to graduation. Well as we complete the fall season previews today with the women's soccer team, let's complete the hat trick and add them to the list.
 
Gone are Whitney Heise, the program's all-time leading scorer, Ally Brown, who had 100 points in three seasons, Kelsee Perkins, a four-year starter on defense, Emily Lloyd, the program's all-time leader in wins as a goalkeeper, Kathryn Ritter, a mainstay in the midfield over the past two seasons, and Amanda Bracelin, a versatile player who could come off the bench or start. (Side note, Miss Bracelin is now Mrs. Lartey as she and former LBC men's soccer play Lawrence Lartey were married this summer.)
 
The difference between the LBC women's soccer team and other team's that must wait a year or two before the team is good again losing so many players to graduation, is that the women's soccer team, coming off the 2012 NEAC Championship, could be every bit as good as they were last season.
 
"It's obviously a different look then in years past, but the captains (Heilenman, Horning and Stauffer), as well as the returning players, have been instrumental in setting the tone early in the season," Chargers' Head Coach Ken Craul said. "The players coming in have to learn our system and the way we do things and I think the returners have made that an easy transition for them. We are much more balanced in talent then we were last season, so practices have been very competitive."
 
Horning, last season's NEAC Player of the Year and NCCAA East Region Player of the Year, echoed Craul's sentiments.
 
"There are obviously big spots to fill with Whitney [Heise] and Ally [Brown] not here anymore, but I think the freshmen are solid and we are excited," Horning said.
 
Craul said he is excited to see the new players perform on the field and how they handle different situations.
 
"There are going to be big conference games and important non-conference games against Alvernia, Swarthmore and Goucher and I'm interested to see how everyone responds," Craul said. "It's exciting to see the returners stepping up in practice already and seeing them realize they can be a big part of what we have, even if they haven't played a lot the past couple of seasons."
 
Like the LBC women's volleyball team, the women's soccer team has no seniors on the roster, something Craul suspects could come up down the road, but isn't worried about.
 
"We are young and it would be easy to point to 2014 and say let's see what works in 2013, but the chemistry that has already been built with our new and older players has been very encouraging," Craul said. "We have 16 of our 21 girls living on campus this season and I think last season it was almost reversed, so the fact they are with one another constantly is a huge help."
 
Horning once again agreed with Craul that having a lot of the girls on campus has been a great plus.
 
"We've been able to incorporate them into the team much easier and I'm very excited for them," Horning said. "We are continuing to unify and work hard."
 
One of the reasons everyone is working so hard is because of the work the returners have put in, not only during preseason, but during the summer months as well. Despite the unprecedented success of the team (the first two trips to the NCAA Division III National Tournament in program history, a NEAC Championship and back-to-back NCCAA East Region titles), both seasons have ended with lopsided losses in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
"The mindset of the returners has been tremendous," Craul said. "They want more and know there is more to attain. One girl in particular, Beth Stein, has come in completely changed from last season. Her posture is different and she seems to have a renewed interest in the game."
 
(Stein for her part scored 11 goals, and had 31 points, the most ever for an LBC freshman last season)
 
Craul, as he did at the end of last season, insisted the team is not rebuilding, but reloading for another deep postseason run.
 
"We are going to continue to build off the past two seasons," Craul said. "We've had great successes and learned from some heartbreak as well. We aren't necessarily concerned with winning and losing, but rather getting better each time we touch the field. If we are doing that, the wins should take care of themselves."
 
The Chargers open their season on Wednesday when they travel to Reading, Pa. to take on Alvernia at 4 p.m. LBC's first five games will be on the road this season, including two NEAC games, one at Gallaudet and one in Utica, N.Y. against SUNYIT.