KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The national championship defense for Grace's men's soccer team is still alive after a dramatic evening on Wednesday.

The Lancers lost to Judson 3-1 to close out pool play, missing a chance to win the pool and grab an automatic spot into the NCCAA national semifinals.

But Grace tied with Warner University for the fourth-best finish overall in tournament pool play. As a result, the two fourth-place finishers were sent to a dramatic penalty kick shootout to determine the final semifinalist. 

Grace and Warner took to the pitch on Wednesday night to settle the score in PKs. Grace took an early 3-2 lead in the PKs after converting on its first three spot kicks. 

But Warner responded by making two in a row, putting the pressure on Grace after a missed shot. Felipe Gruber connected on his kick to send the shootout to extra kicks.

Both teams missed on their next two tries. Matteo Conci came up with two huge saves to keep Grace's hopes alive.

After another miss by Warner, Ze Maria Goncalves stepped up and converted the final PK to end Warner's season and send Grace to the national semifinals. Grace won the PK shootout 5-4.

Grace will face a familiar face in the national semifinals. The Lancers will play Campbellsville on Friday at 12 p.m. Incredibly, this will be the third straight year that Grace has played Campbellsville in the NCCAA semifinals. Grace won each of the previous meetings by the score of 1-0.

In Grace's match against Judson earlier on Wednesday evening, Grace had to battle from behind throughout the match. The Eagles ahead of Grace with a seventh-minute goal.

To make matters worse, the Lancers picked up a red card in the 30th minute which put Grace at an 11v10 disadvantage for the remainder of regulation.

Despite that problem, Grace continued to fight. A few minutes into the second half, Grace was fouled in the penalty box. TJ White stepped up to convert the PK to tie the score.

But Judson wasted little time with its response. The Eagles scored twice over the next six minutes, including a PK of their own, to seize control of the game with a 3-1 lead.

Grace was unable to find a rally and had to settle for the defeat. Grace outshot Judson 5-3 after halftime despite playing with 10 men. Overall Judson held a 15-11 shot advantage.