NEW ORLEANS (JMU Athletics) — After aiding No. 21 James Madison to its third and fourth straight wins, graduate Davide Materazzi has been tabbed Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Tuesday afternoon.

It is the second consecutive week a Duke has been tabbed as the Defensive Player of the Week by the league and third of the season (Sebastian Conlon, Aug. 27; Enrique Garcia Barelles, Sept. 17).

JMU earned wins against Mount St. Mary’s and UCF to remain undefeated overall at 4-0-3 and begin league play at 1-0. The Dukes took down the Mountaineers, 2-1, to begin the week before shutting out the Knights, 2-0.

Materazzi had a key hand in the pair of wins, anchoring the back line in a full 180 minutes of action. The Mount was held to just two corner kicks and three shots on goal, the lowest and second lowest outputs of the season, respectively, for MSMU. Later in the week, Materazzi helped the Dukes open their Sun Belt slate by shutting out UCF and limiting it to its lowest shots (11) and shots on goal this season (three).

The JMU defense now has a Sun Belt leading five shutouts, as the defense ranks first in goals against average (0.429), second in save percentage (.880) and tied for second in shutout percentage (.714). JMU is one of eight teams in the nation to have at least five shutouts this season.

— JMU Athletics —