One early mistake fueled a scorching hot start.

The No. 8 ranked Blue Streaks shook off an own goal in the opening two minutes by scoring four unanswered goals to secure their ninth consecutive win over Baldwin Wallace by a final score of 4-1

JCU has now won its last four games to remain firmly in first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The Blue Streaks have 16 points, well ahead  of a bunch of teams in second place with 12 points. Only three regular season games remain.

Just 1:45 into the game, a JCU deflection put them behind for the first time since Oct. 2, when they lost 1-0 in double overtime to Ohio Wesleyan.

"We had to wake up, shake it off, and get back to the game plan," associate head coach Dejan Mladenovic said after the game. "It happened early enough where there was plenty of time to correct it. The guys fought through adversity." 

Since that early October match, the Blue Streaks have been bound and determined to get ahead quick in OAC play. And that's exactly what they did.

It took just a little over six minutes for JCU to reset their sights and respond with a goal. It was none other than reigning OAC Defensive Player of the Week, Matt Nigro fueling the Blue and Gold on the offensive end to take a 1-0 lead.

"It helped swing things back in our favor, especially to get one back that early and tie things up," Nigro said after the game. "When you go down early you see the type of team you have. We create many chances as a team."

The chances continued to be created. Justin LaFountain put the Blue Streaks ahead 2-1 with his fourth goal of the season. Jared Ianiro added his team-leading fifth goal in the 34th minute for a 3-1 halftime lead.

Midway through the second half, the LaFountain and Cersosimo connection was at it again. Cersosimo relayed it to LaFountain for a 4-1 lead.

"Larry's [Cersosimo] work rate from start to finish was great," said Mladenovic. "He fought through the adversity and stayed consistent and gave us a much needed spark going forward.

"[Justin] LaFountain was the game changer. When he came off the bench, he provided an even bigger spark. He had a big impact on the game."

The Blue Streaks protected their lead allowing no goals in the second half and protected their undefeated conference record. 

"I tell our guys, mid-week OAC road games are some of the toughest games they are going to play in their career," said Mladenovic. "Anytime you can get three points in the OAC, you're going to take it." 

JCU is now 5-0-1 in the OAC and 12-2-2 overall. After two games on the road, the Blue Streaks return back home on Saturday night to play the Marietta Pioneers. 

The four goals tonight was the most for JCU since scoring six against Muskingum back on October 5th
 
"We are hitting our stride at the perfect time," Nigro said. "We know BW's record doesn't reflect the talent of their squad. They always give us a tough game."