The Lancaster Bible College men's soccer team will celebrate Thanksgiving with their families this Thursday, and then report back to campus for a trip that seemed impossible just two weeks ago, as the Chargers will embark on the 18-hour bus trip to Kissimmee, Florida for the NCCAA Division I Men's Soccer National Tournament.
 
The Chargers will hit the road on Saturday, and begin preparing for top-seeded Southwestern Christian (Okla.), who they will play on Monday, Nov. 26 at 5 p.m. The following evening, Lancaster Bible will face sixth-seeded Judson (Ill.) at 5 p.m., as all three teams are part of Pool A at the championships.
 
There are two other three-team pools, and the winner of each will advance to the semifinals, and then a fourth semifinal team will be selected using a series of tie-breakers. The semifinals will take place on Friday, Nov. 30, with the NCCAA Div. I Championship set for Saturday, Dec. 1.
 
Lancaster Bible last appeared in NCCAA National Tournament in 2013 when the Chargers were Division II members. They took home third place that season, the best finish in program history, as three other seasons had finished with fifth place finishes at the National Tournament.
 
This year's trip will be much different, as the Chargers will be facing NAIA programs who give scholarships to their student-athletes. While it may or may not make a difference on the pitch next week, it is generally thought of to be an advantage to the team that can offer its student-athletes money for school.
 
Despite being the ninth seed in a nine-team tournament, and a proverbial underdog, the Chargers look at this opportunity with hope and thankfulness, as their season could've ended with their North Eastern Athletic Conference Final loss to Penn St. Abington on Nov. 4, but has since extended to not only the NCCAA Mid-East Region Final against Grace (Ind.), but now to the NCCAA Division I National Tournament.
 
"When we figured out that an at-large bid could be a possibility, Athletic Director Pete Beers and I talked about how consistent our team has been all season long, both being competitive and beating high-level teams, as well as taking care of our business against lesser opponents," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Tom Ardt said. "Our team loves to compete, and they have shown that all season long. I think the at-large bid was a bit unexpected, as we haven't generally taken them in the past, but thanks to Lancaster Bible College and Pete Beers, we were able to accept the bid, and the guys just love playing with each other on the field, and we are thrilled to be heading to Florida."
 
Preview of Pool A
#9 Lancaster Bible
Team Record: 12-8-1
Goals Scored: 38
Goals Allowed: 26
Goals Leader: Chad Tolson, 7
Assists Leader: Dan Bewersdorff, 5
Points Leader: Chad Tolson, 18
Saves Leader: Jake Deterline, 85
Team Notes: Lancaster Bible has lost its past two games, but both were finals of a respective tournament, as the Chargers lost the NEAC Final to Penn St. Abington on Nov. 4, and the NCCAA Mid-East Region Final to Grace, on Nov. 10…Prior to those losses, the Chargers had won a program-best seven straight games, and even in the aforementioned losses, the Chargers have played well, and held a late lead against the Lancers…The Chargers have never played in the Division I National Tournament, but made NCCAA Division II National Tournament appearances in 1986, 1992, 2009, 2011 and 2013…Lancaster Bible has never played a team from Oklahoma (Southwestern Christian), but has played one team from Illinois, as the Chargers played Moody Bible in 2013.
 
#1 Southwestern Christian (Okla.)
Athletics Website
Team Record: 15-4-1
Goals Scored: 54
Goals Allowed: 25
Goals Leader: Igor Stojanovic, 14
Assists Leader: Javier Verdu Sanchez, 11
Points Leader: Igor Stojanovic, 34
Saves Leader: Milos Milovic, 41
Team Notes: The Eagles opened the season 12-1 over their first 13 games, but have gone just 3-3-1 over their past seven games, including a 1-0 upset loss to John Brown (Ark.) in the Sooner Athletic Conference Quarterfinals…Southwestern Christian has won the past two NCCAA Division I National Championships, including a 2-0 victory over Indiana Wesleyan in last year's championship game…The Southwestern Christian University campus is located just west of Oklahoma City, Okla., and has around 620 undergraduate students.
 
#6 Judson (Ill.)
Athletics Website
Team Record: 10-7-3
Goals Scored: 58
Goals Allowed: 36
Goals Leader: Luis Germano, 18
Assists Leader: Luis Germano, 8
Points Leader: Luis Germano, 44
Saves Leader: Ricardo Porcayo, 37
Team Notes: The Eagles enter the tournament having lost three straight games, including a 5-2 decision to Bethel (Ind.) in the NCCAA North Central Region Final…Judson played one other NCAA Division III team this season, defeating Edgewood, 5-3 on Sept. 8 in Madison, Wis….In 20 games this season, the Eagles have given up 2+ goals 11 times, though they are 4-6-1 in those games, as the high-powered offense has scored 2+ goals 15 times this season…Judson is located Elgin, Ill., a little under an hour Northwest of Chicago…The student population is about 1,280.
 
Other Links
NCCAA Men's Soccer Home Page
NCCAA Division I Men's Soccer History
Horse with No Name Podcast - Guest Tommy Croke (Men's Soccer Player)