Box Score As encouraged as the John Carroll Blue Streaks were by their first half play, the discouragement following a series of defensive breakdowns was difficult to mask.

In a hard fought game between the two top teams in Ohio Athletic Conference men's soccer this season, it was the Blue Streaks that came up short falling 2-0 to the Polar Bears of Ohio Northern.

Box Score

As the first half of play commenced on a cold Saturday evening in University Heights, it was the defenses that stood tall from the outset. For the Blue Streaks, it was out of necessity. The loss of key offensive specialist Wycliffe Odhiambo to injury slowed the Streaks their offensive attack a bit, as they turned to their defense to hold tough against the opposing ONU.

After weathering the initial wave of attacks, John Carroll began to create opportunities. While none of Ohio Northern's seven shots in the first half made their way into the back of the net, the story was unfortunately the same for John Carroll as well, who saw nine shot attempts fail to get into the goal. Considering how the match had started, there was a positive vibe coming off the Blue Streaks side.

It would be short-lived.

Only four minutes out of the break, the first goal of the game was booted past John Carroll goalie Carl Contrascier off the foot of Nathan Bascom giving the Polar Bears a 1-0 lead. After the Polar Bears had exposed a breakdown on the right side of the JCU defense, Bascom was in the right place at the right time as Contrascier had stopped the initial attempt.

Just four short minutes later, Ohio Northern again came flying down the right side, penetrated the John Carroll defense and used the foot of Greg Stawicki to post another goal.

Trailing 2-0, John Carroll had a mountain to climb in order to give themselves a chance to hold onto their number one spot in the OAC.

In the end,  that deficit proved to be one the Blue Streaks couldn't overcome as the final buzzer sounded and John Carroll fell to 10-6 overall, and 6-1 in the OAC. Ohio Northern, the #15 ranked team n Division III, moved to 14-2-2 and 6-0-1.

The two teams finished the game with 17 shots on goal respectively, but  John Carroll struggled to put any of those past ONU goalie Mac Church.

Brian Potocnik's four shots was the team high in the match for the Blue Streaks, who had their seven-match winning streak snapped.