The Lancaster Bible College men's soccer team advanced to the North Eastern Athletic Conference Playoffs for the fourth straight season thanks to its 6-3-1 mark in conference play and a 3-2-1 record in NEAC South Division action. The Chargers will meet rival Penn St. Berks in the NEAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday in Reading, Pa., as the Nittany Lions earned the second seed in the NEAC South Division and the right to host a quarterfinal game.
 
The two teams played an epic regular season game that ended in a 4-4 tie on Sept. 27. Both teams battled back from deficits in the contest, with Lancaster Bible scoring with 3:49 remaining to tie the game at 4-4. Tuesday's winner will advance to the NEAC Semifinals to be held at the highest remaining seed from the either the North or South Division.
 
Team Records:
Lancaster Bible: 9-9-2, 6-3-1 NEAC
Penn St. Berks: 9-8-1, 7-2-1 NEAC
 
How They Got Here:
Lancaster Bible: Lancaster Bible was 6-3-1 in NEAC action this season, including 3-2-1 in NEAC South Division play and earned the third seed in the South Division…The Chargers played their best soccer of the season over the team's final four regular season games, going 3-1 with the lone loss coming to the NEAC's best team, Penn St. Abington, in overtime…The Chargers posted their biggest two wins of the season just three days apart, beating Morrisville State, 1-0 and then besting Wilson, 4-3 in come-from-behind fashion on the road.
 
Penn St. Berks: Penn St. Berks posted a 7-2-1 mark in NEAC play and earned the second seed in the NEAC South Division with a 4-1-1 record…After a three-game losing streak in the middle of October, the Nittany Lions won their final three games, defeating Keuka, Bryn Athyn and Wilson by a combined score of 10-4…The Nittany Lions posted a five-game unbeaten streak midway through the year after beginning the season 2-5.
 
Leading Scorers:
Lancaster Bible: Caleb Nelson leads the Chargers with nine goals and 21 points this season, while senior Edward Bills has six goals and a team-high eight assists for 20 points…Bills has three game-winning goals this season, tied for second in the NEAC and now has 11 game-winners in his illustrious collegiate career…Freshman Rama Mugisha is second on the team with eight goals, while sophomore Dan Bewersdorff has three goals and three assists.
 
Penn St. Berks: Few teams have been able to stop freshman Brenden Valverde this season, as he has scored 22 goals and added six assists for 50 points…Valverde leads the conference in goals and points and has a conference-best four game-winning goals…Valverde has scored three or more goals in a game four times this season and has scored in 12 of the Nittany Lions' 18 games…Jon Mercier has three goals and a conference best 14 assists this season for 20 points, while Cole Mays has eight goals.
 
Between the Pipes:
Lancaster Bible: Senior Thiago Naque has started 14 of Lancaster Bible's 20 games, earning the top spot late in September…Naque has gone 7-5 this year, while posting a 1.67 goals against average.
 
Penn St. Berks: Gerardo Sosa has started 17 of Penn St. Berks' 18 games, though Trent Johnson has appeared in 11 games and Jose Aparicio has seen action in seven contests…Sosa has posted a 1.41 goals against average and a 7-2 record, while Johnson is 2-2 with a 1.43 goals against average.
 
Team Notes:
Lancaster Bible: The Chargers are in the NEAC Playoffs for the fourth straight season, and will look to correct a trend line that has seen them lose in the NEAC Final (2014), NEAC Semifinals (2015) and NEAC Quarterfinals (2016)…The Chargers are 9-10-2 all-time against Penn St. Berks, but got crushed in Reading a year ago, falling 5-0 on the turf at Penn St. Berks…Lancaster Bible's offense has been good all season long, scoring 40 goals so far after netting just 35 all of last season…A good start is important for Lancaster Bible as they are 7-2 this season when scoring the first goal and just 2-7-1 when they don't…Lancaster Bible is 4-5-1 away from Charger Field this season.
 
Penn St. Berks: The Nittany Lions' offense, led by Valverde, has been firing on all cylinders all season long and Penn St. Berks has scored three or more goals in a game seven times this year…Mercier and Valverde has been a clutch 1-2 punch for Penn St. Berks all season long and playing at home will could be an early advantage for the Nittany Lions as the Chargers get adjusted…Penn St. Berks is 5-5 at home this season, including a 4-1 mark at home against NEAC opponents.
 
Tuesday's NEAC Playoff Schedule
North Division:
SUNY Poly at Morrisville State, 2 p.m.
Penn College at Keuka, 4 p.m.
 
South Division:
Wilson at Penn St. Abington, 2 p.m.
Lancaster Bible at Penn St. Berks, 2 p.m.
 
Where to Watch:. The game can be viewed via live stats and the following link. LIVE STATS LINK