The Lancaster Bible College men's soccer team saw its run at a North Eastern Athletic Conference Men's Soccer title fall just short on Sunday afternoon, as the Chargers lost to top-seeded Penn St. Abington, 2-1 in the NEAC Final in Abington, Pa.
 
The title is the second straight for Penn St. Abington who will now represent the NEAC in the NCAA Division III National Tournament. The Chargers fall to 12-7-1 overall this season, and will now await a possible NCCAA Division I playoff opponent.
 
Game Recap: Penn St. Abington controlled the pace of play from the get-go, as the Nittany Lions had chance-after-chance in the opening 10 minutes. Lancaster Bible goalkeeper Jake Deterline made two saves during the barrage, while several other chances were blocked or missed wide.
 
The Nittany Lions finally broke through the Chargers' defense, and Deterline, at 13:26, as Sebastian Krysztofow put in a rebound to give Penn St. Abington a 1-0 advantage. The lead grew to 2-0 just 1:59 later, as the Chargers committed a foul in the box, and Jose Palomeque converted the adjoining penalty kick for his 10^th goal of the season.
 
Lancaster Bible recorded its first shot of the game at 34:23, as Joel Hughes' chance was saved by Esteban Leon. A corner kick and another shot from Hughes followed, but Penn St. Abington had two late chances as well, as Deterline made a big save with 51 seconds to play in the half.
 
The Chargers came out more aggressive in the second half, recording a few shots, before being awarded a corner kick at 56:42. Off the corner, Rusty Risteen got open in the box and scored off the delivery from Dan Bewersdorff and cut the Chargers' deficit to one at 57:07.
 
The game got a bit chippy throughout the second half, as the Chargers and Nittany Lions combined for eight yellow cards over the 90 minutes. Through the hard play, the Chargers had a few offensive chances, but struggled to find the equalizer. Estiven Saldarriaga fired a shot high with just over 10 minutes to play, and senior Jared Jordan did the same with 1:23 remaining. Lancaster Bible never had another shot, and lost in the NEAC Final for the second time in program history.
 
By the Numbers: Penn St. Abington outshot the Chargers, 19-9, including 11-4 in shots on goal…The Nittany Lions also held an 8-2 edge in corner kicks…Risteen's goal was his fourth of the season…Deterline made nine saves in the loss...The five yellow cards from Lancaster Bible were a season-high.

The Coach Says: "Obviously this was a really tough loss, as it is the NEAC Final, and it hurts because this group sold out for each other and we embraced so many challenges this season," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Tom Ardt said. "We started slowly today, and we seemed to let the moment get to us a little bit, and forgot some details we normally handle well. Once we adjusted and our central players and leaders started winning battles in the midfield, we settled into the game, and played a nice second half."

On the Game's Larger Meaning: "I'm so proud of the seniors on this team (Ivan Correa, Anthony Gehman, and Jared Jordan), they led in so many different ways, and with a variety of leadership styles," Ardt said. "For our younger players, this game will help drive them to commit themselves more and more as we embrace the development over the winter, spring and summer. We also want to congratulate Penn St. Abington, and wish them the best in the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
 
Information Hodge Podge: Lancaster Bible is now 3-6-2 all-time against Penn St. Abington…The Chargers lost to the Nittany Lions, 1-0 in Abington, Pa. during the regular season…Lancaster Bible also lost in the 2014 NEAC Final, with that loss coming to Morrisville State, 2-0…The Chargers are 6-6 this season in one-goal games.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible will now await to see how the NCCAA Division I Midwest Playoffs will shakeout…The Chargers have met their qualifications (above .500 regular season record, qualified for NEAC Playoffs), and now will see which other teams in the region have also met their qualifications…Stay tuned to www.lbcchargers.com and our social media sites for more information.