John Carroll had a number of contributions tonight as part of Homecoming weekend, much to the delight of its coach.
 
Jaclyn Audino, Brittany Dufalla and Grace Monnin each had a goal and an assist in the second half to put John Carroll University in the driver's seat to secure the win.
 
"It is exciting to see a lot of different people stepping up," head coach Michael Marich said after the game. "Both for setting up goals and finishing up goals. It is a little bit different picture than what we had last year. It is exciting for us to see a lot of different people step-up.
 
"They have all created a connection with each other over the last month. Each one of them has stepped up big in different moments."
 
The Blue Streaks opened Ohio Athletic Conference play with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Muskingum Fighting Muskies, aided by the offensive trio.
 
"It is always good to get three points under your belt to start the conference season," he said. "Especially when you're at home. They battled us to the end."
 
Brittany Dufalla was the one to spark the start. She found the upper left corner of the net on a pass from Rachel Braunegg to initially put JCU ahead in the 12th minute.
 
"We had to set the tone from the beginning in OAC's," said Dufalla. "I think scoring that first goal helped with that. We gained our confidence."
 
The Blue and Gold took the 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
 
Dufalla kept her impressive night going with an assist on the second goal, scored by Grace Monnin 16 minutes into the second stanza. Audino also assisted on the score, positioning herself just one assist away from becoming the all-time leader in the program.
 
"It feels good," Audino said of her accomplishment. "I have my teammates to thank for that. They are the ones finishing the goals for me."
 
Audino wasn't just the giver of the goals; she had a taste of the back of the net herself.
 
Her score in the 61st minute placed JCU ahead by three, Monnin assisted on that goal. Audino registered eight shots in the contest, five of which came on goal.
 
Although down three, Muskingum did not back down. In the 70th minute, the Fighting Muskies erased a potential Blue Streaks shutout.
 
JCU outshot the Fighting Muskies 22-5, including 12-2 on the net.
 
"It is pretty huge to set the tone for the rest of the season," said Monnin. "We started off with the win and hopefully that's how we keep going."
 
The Blue Streaks stay home this week, where they will play host to the Mount Union Purple Raiders on Wednesday at 7 p.m.