Madison drops Wilmington.

Dukes rack up record fourth-straight shutout

by James Irwin, senior writer

The fans were dressed in Halloween costumes. The game was played on a practice field. The turf was slick, the game was physical and no one could see the game clock.

The storm system that passed through Harrisonburg last week dumped enough rain to force Sunday’s JMU women’s soccer game against the University of North Carolina-Wilmington to change location from the main field to the practice field at the JMU Soccer Complex.

In a game marked by poor footing and makeshift press facilities — no scoreboard or PA system — the Dukes (9-4 overall, 4-1 Colonial Athletic Association) rebounded from a slow start, scored all their goals in the second half and shut out their fourth-straight opponent with a 4-0 win over UNC-W. The mark is a new school record, breaking the old one set in 1994.

“They drew us into playing their game early,” JMU coach Dave Lombardo said. “We had to steal the game back and we did that. Our depth came into play.”

In addition to his team’s depth, Lombardo can thank Mother Nature for an added boost to Sunday’s game. The inclement weather also caused the cancellation of Sunday’s men’s soccer game at UNC-W, which half a dozen players celebrated by dressing up in makeshift costumes and attending the women’s game. By halftime, the reserved Family Weekend crowd was in full swing, being entertained by scholar-athletes sporting sombreros, plastic swords and a Voodoo stick.

“It was awesome,” senior forward Kim Argy said of the entertainment. “We love when people come out and the more people that come the more excited we get.”

Whatever the men’s soccer team was doing, it worked. After a scoreless first half, the Dukes, backed by a boisterous crowd and perhaps some of that Voodoo magic, turned up the tempo and ran the Seahawks off the field.

Sophomore forward Annie Lowry broke the tie with a header off freshman midfielder Kimmy Germain’s free kick eight minutes into the second half. It was Lowry’s fourth goal in three games and her sixth of the season

“I was just trying to hit it over the defense,” Germain said. “The idea is to look for whoever is the target player on the far post. Annie’s a good target to look for.”

JMU kept applying pressure and the Dukes struck again when junior defensive back Kara Dunston corralled a loose ball and fired a one-hopper for her first collegiate goal.

“I was at the top of the box and just trying to get out of pressure,” Dunston said. “I just saw an opening. I was pretty shocked.”

The goal capped a breakout day for Dunston, who was making her eighth start of the season.

“This was probably her best collegiate game,” Lombardo said.

After scoring her first goal, Dunston tallied her second career assist, when she found Argy in front of the penalty box. Argy pivoted and shot a turn-around bullet into the far corner of the goal.

“I had no idea where I was shooting, to be honest,”Argy said. “I turned and I knew I was facing the goal, so I shot.”

Junior forward Sarah Cebulski rounded out the scoring with her third goal of the season. Senior goalkeepers Jessica Hussey and Amanda Hutchings combined on the shutout.

“We talked with the team two weeks ago after we had split our previous six games,” Lombardo said. “We told them they had to draw a line in the sand. Right now we’re putting numbers up and our defense is playing well.”