The #3-seed Lancaster Bible College Men's Soccer team traveled to Middletown, Pa. on Tuesday night for a United East Semifinal showdown with #2-seed Penn St. Harrisburg, falling by a score of 2-1 with every goal scored in the final eight minutes. The Chargers see their season come to a close at 9-9-1 overall while the Lions improve to 9-7-2 overall and punch their ticket to the conference title game against top-seeded Penn St. Abington on Saturday afternoon.
How it Happened:
The Lions drew a corner kick in the first minute with no shot, then had a pair of shots early on as well with one hitting the right post to keep up the early pressure. Across the 15-minute mark,
Chris Jackson (Sr.) made a pair of saves on goal, then two more saves by Jackson a few minutes later helped fend off some close Lion attacks. With 15 minutes left in the half, the Chargers made a push as
Jacob Melleby (Fr.) had a shot on goal that was saved off a deflection, then the Lions had a few more shots including another off the post. A corner in the final minute proved unfruitful for the Lions as the teams entered halftime deadlocked at a 0-0 tie.
Jackson made another save early in the second half before a LBC corner kick four minutes in, then after a pair of Harrisburg shots missed,
Ruben Reyes (So.) fired a shot off a nice play in the box that just missed to the right. A little later,
Michael Straubel (Fr.) took a shot that missed high, then a period of time went by where neither team could muster a pass on goal. After more than 80 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Lions struck in the 83rd minute on a pass just inside midfield that led an attacker into the box against Jackson, getting it by for the opening score of the game for a Lions lead. The Chargers, however, had an immediate answer as they powered down the field for a corner kick taken by
Silas Dellaperute (Jr.), finding
Joel Walker (Jr.) on a shot in the box that connected to the left side, quickly equalizing for the Chargers and tying it up at 1-1 with six minutes to play. After a foul by the Chargers a few minutes later, the defense played the free kick well, but a deflection led to a broken play where a Harrisburg player knocked the ball into an open goal to take the lead back 2-1 at the 87-minute mark. A last-minute surge by Lancaster Bible could not connect as the Lions won a stunner down the stretch to end the Chargers' season one win short of the conference title game.
By the Numbers:
Team Stats
- Shots: Lancaster Bible 5, Penn St. Harrisburg 20
- Shots on Goal: Lancaster Bible 2, Penn St. Harrisburg 9
- Corner Kicks: Lancaster Bible 4, Penn St. Harrisburg 4
Scoring Summary
83' PSH – Djibril Fall (4) [Jonathan Hernandez (3)]
84' LBC –
Joel Walker (2) [
Silas Dellaperute (6)]
88' PSH – Addis Tafese (5)
Goalkeeping
-
Chris Jackson (LBC): 7 Saves, 2 GA, LOSS (6-3-1)
- Jimmy Shensky (PSH): 1 Save, 1 GA, WIN (7-6-1)
Information to Know:
The Chargers fall to 0-4-1 all-time against Penn St. Harrisburg in the postseason with the Lions advancing all five times, this being the third playoff matchup between the two schools to end within one score. Lancaster Bible ends their season at 9-9-1 overall with a 6-2 conference finish, their first nine-win season since 2023 and tying their most United East wins since 2022 at six.
Joel Walker scored his first career postseason goal in tonight's game while
Silas Dellaperute notched his first career postseason assist. Both Walker and Dellaperute became the 10th and 11th players in program history with both a goal and an assist in the postseason.
*Tonight saw the end of the collegiate careers for several LBC seniors, including
Zach Coryell,
Derek Rhine,
Chris Jackson,
Richie Lockard, and
Gabe Madanat. Coryell finished his career leading all active scorers with nine goals including three game-winning goals this season for the Chargers, adding four assists for 22 career points. Zach was an All-Conference Third Team selection in 2025 as well as a NCCAA Mideast All-Region Second Team honoree. Rhine helped anchor the LBC defense in his four seasons and added one goal and two assists during his career. Jackson made 88 total saves in a Chargers uniform, including a team-high 35 this season with an 11-6-2 career record. Lockard made 60 saves in goal during his tenure with the Chargers and snagged eight total victories in goal. Madanat played well in the midfield for the Chargers and notched his first career assist earlier this season.
This marks the conclusion of the Chargers' 2026 season. Congratulations to the Men's Soccer team on a fantastic 2026 season!
