The proverbial snowball rolling down the hill effect happened to the John Carroll men's soccer team in its 2018 season opener Friday at Kenyon College.

In a match-up of nationally ranked teams, #20 ranked Kenyon scored first, and as the pressure mounted on #24 ranked John Carroll to find the equalizer in the second half, the snowball gained momentum and the result was a 4-0 defeat. Three of the Lords' four goals came in the final 26 minutes.

Unlike the 2017 contest in which these two teams battled evenly (a 1-0 John Carroll victory), the host team controlled matters from start to finish in Gambier. Kenyon outshot John Carroll 17-3, and had six of the seven corner kicks in the game.

This defeat marks the fourth time in five years that the Blue Streaks have lost their opener. JCU has gone on to post a 58-14-7 record outside of its opening match over that span of time.