All good things come to an end. 

For the John Carroll University men’s soccer team, that is exactly what happened to their undefeated record on Saturday, Sept. 28, in a 3-0 loss against Messiah College. 

However, even in a loss, there are always a few positives to take away from the game, Especially when playing a high-class program like Messiah.

“There were a lot of positives to take away from it,” Assistant Head Coach Dejan Mladenovic said. “In terms of learning from Messiah on what they do, how they do it and why they have won 11 National Championships since 2000.”

Off to their best start since 2017, the Blue and Gold notched the No. 3 overall ranking in the nation in the coaches’ poll last week. But heading into Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, the Messiah Falcons were no pushover.

The Falcons compiled a 5-2-2 record before Saturday’s game and in 2018 went undefeated in the regular season as the No. 1 team in the country, before losing in the Elite Eight to the University of Rochester.

“Going there and seeing their environment, from how they warm up, how they walk on the field and all the things they do to prepare for the game, was a big eye-opener for us,” said Mladenovic. “There is a reason they have won as much as they have. Their culture they have there is something, we can learn from.”

The Blue Streaks will now try to learn how to bounce back from a loss for the first time this season. Through eight games in 2019, the Blue Streaks always found a way to win. No matter the team or deficit, JCU came out on top. 

“We got outcoached, we got outplayed, we got outworked.” Mladenovic said. “The positive is we got to see how it is done at their level and why they are who they are.”

The Blue Streaks have played a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule, which is most of the reason why their wins propelled them to third-best team in the nation. 

“We are really proud of our 7-1-1 record. We can take a lot out of yesterday and learn from it in a 3-0 loss, rather than winning 5-0 against another opponent. That is our main goal as a unit.”

Although their one loss comes against arguably the best program in the country, Mladenovic had one message for his team:

“No excuses.”