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Sophomore midfielder Kelly D’Ambrisi scored to give the Hoyas a 2-0 lead on Wednesday against James Madison

Another day, another shutout.

For the Georgetown women’s soccer team, holding the opponent scoreless has become a habit.

On Wednesday, the Hoyas thoroughly dominated the Dukes of James Madison en route to a 4-0 win at North Kehoe Field. With the victory, the Blue and Gray improved to a perfect 4-0 on the year. Perhaps more impressively, the team has yet to allow a goal this season. The shutout against JMU extended Georgetown’s opponents’ scoreless streak to a whopping 360 minutes, a new team record. Not including postseason play, the team has notched seven consecutive shutouts dating back to last season.

“While this is exciting, it’s also kind of expected,” senior defender and captain Norah Swanson, said. “We are returning basically all of the back line from last season.”

Thus far, Swanson’s high expectations have definitely proved to be on point. With the Hoyas returning three of four backline starters from last season, another year of experience seems to have solidified this group. In addition to defender-returnees Swanson, junior Michaela Buonomo and sophomore Gabby Miller, the fourth spot has been as solid as ever. Yesterday, freshman Claire Magliola was given the start, fitting seamlessly into the fabric of the defense.

“We were good last year and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be good this year,” Swanson said.

Though the Hoyas had struck early and often in their first three games, this match proved to be a bit different. The Dukes came out of the gates fired up to play a Big East power, demonstrating their determination with a tremendous amount of physicality. Multiple fouls and free kicks were called in the early stages of the game, perhaps limiting the Hoyas’ ability to move the ball as well as they have in previous games. For most of the first half, this elevated aggressiveness made it difficult for either team to execute their passes, something that limited the scoring chances for either side.

“[JMU is] a fair team,” Head Coach Dave Nolan said. “There is nothing cheap about them . I thought our kids responded well to it.”

And so they did. With close to 10 minutes remaining in the half, the Hoyas finally got on the board. After receiving an excellent through ball from redshirt sophomore midfielder Ingrid Wells, sophomore forward Camille Trujillo was fouled in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick. Wells then capitalized on the opportunity by firing one into the left side of the goal, giving the Hoyas an edge.

Ten minutes later, it was almost déjà vu for the Blue and Gray. Weaving in and out of defenders, Wells delivered another sensational pass, this time to sophomore midfielder Kelly D’Ambrisi. After making a nifty move, D’Ambrisi blasted a shot that landed in the top right corner of the net, giving the Hoyas a 2-0 advantage with less than a minute left before halftime.

Any sluggishness that may have been prevalent in the first half was completely wiped out by the time the second half rolled around, as the Hoyas came out firing on all cylinders. Georgetown created a number of chances at the outset, including three consecutive corner kicks and a near miss by Wells. In the 59th minute, Swanson delivered a great ball into the penalty area which was deflected in by freshman defender Catherine Cabot to extend the Hoyas’ lead.

The action around the JMU goal continued throughout the half, as Georgetown dictated the tempo throughout the period. After several more scoring chances, the Hoyas got on the board once again. This time sophomore forward Samantha Baker emerged out of the fray to push the ball past the keeper, giving the Hoyas a commanding 4-0 lead.

As usual, junior goalkeeper Jackie Desjardin executed her job in excellent fashion. The California native made six saves, earning her third shutout of the season.

The team played so well that Nolan had very little to criticize.

“It’s hard to argue against a 4-0 victory against a good team,” he said.

Although the season has been hugely successful so far, the road will only become more difficult. Georgetown will have undoubtedly the toughest test of the year thus far this Sunday, as they host No. 22 Santa Clara. If victorious, the Hoyas should solidify themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Big East and propel themselves into the national rankings.

“[Santa Clara] is a great challenge for us,” Nolan said. “We have to play better against Santa Clara.”

If the first four games of the 2009 season are any indication of how the Hoyas may fare on Sunday at 11 a.m. on North Kehoe Field, look for Georgetown in the next NSCAA poll. “