By Maggie Cassidy

Sitting at the bottom of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) standings, the women’s soccer team pulled off the upset of the season, taking down top-ranked James Madison University in a 1-0 win.

Sophomore forward Liza Rebello headed the game-winner over JMU keeper Stephanie Poucher’s fingertips two minutes into the second half off a pass from senior defender Hannah Schindler. Northeastern (3-9-3, 1-4-2 CAA) fended off the Dukes’ aggressive offense for 43 nail-biting minutes to earn its first conference win of the season.

“We were just trying to stay composed,” Rebello said of the second half. “We had a lot of people stepping up. It was good to see that a lot of the younger people could stay composed in a really intense game.”

Keeper Annie Petrofsky recorded nine saves, including six in the second half, while seniors Laura Johnson and Schindler led the defense by repeatedly shutting down JMU’s runs down the wings.

The loss broke a nine-game unbeaten streak for JMU and was their first loss in CAA play this year, dropping its record to 13-2-1 overall and 5-1-1 in the conference. The Dukes were runners up in last year’s CAA championships, losing to Old Dominion 3-2 in the finals.

Plagued by an unusually long list of injuries this season, the Huskies have managed just five goals in 15 games, getting shut out in 10. But, while the win was undoubtedly the biggest CAA upset of 2007, head coach Ed Matz said it was nothing more than his team’s hard work finally paying off.

“As clich’eacute; as it may sound, yeah, it’s an upset on paper, but we aren’t used to losing on this field,” he said after the game at Parsons Field. “We don’t see it as a big upset. I think on paper, for people on the outside looking in [it was an upset], but we don’t expect to lose on our field.”

Northeastern kept pace with JMU from the opening minutes, getting out shot in the first half by a slim 5-2 margin. Fueled by junior midfielders Maria Picard and sophomore Sofia Palmquist, both playing with injuries, and junior defender Brenna Matthews, playing her first game since suffering a concussion last week, the Huskies were able to control the ball in JMU’s half for most of the first period.

Both teams came out of the locker room with increased energy, but it was NU who hit net when Schindler lobbed a 20-yard cross from the right side onto the head of Rebello, who was on the left side of the six-yard box. The header arched over Poucher into the top right corner for the Huskies’ first goal in five games.

CAA player of the week Cate Tisinger, a JMU freshman forward, came within inches of the goal twice in the second half as her team rifled off 13 shots, but was subdued by sophomore midfielder Kristen Hjort.

Northeastern also had a handful of opportunities at cushioning its lead, including a Matthews free kick from 30 yards out that missed just left, and two more chances by Rebello that missed in either direction.

Matz said his defense’s composure sealed the deal for the Huskies.

“We tried to keep our shape and we tried to get back and support each other. That was the name of the game today – to keep our shape defensively, and to confuse the teams offensively when they had the ball and to break out into a totally different formation when we had the ball,” he said.

Junior midfielder Kelsey O’Rourke, playing with a cast on her broken arm, and freshman forward Kristen Blake, who has a fracture in her back, were just two of several Huskies on the field who wouldn’t normally play with such injuries.

After the game, JMU coach David Lombardo went to the Huskies huddle and congratulated the team on its victory. Matz said Lombardo told the team that JMU has beaten a lot of Top 20 teams this year, but has “never seen a team with so much heart and desire that our girls put forward today.”

“It’s good to be recognized for your hard work,” Rebello said. “Sometimes it’s not in wins, so it’s good to hear that it’s noticed.”

On Friday, Northeastern suffered a 1-0 loss to Virginia Commonwealth at Parsons Field. The Huskies struggled to get the numbers on the field, finishing the first half with just 10 players.

The Huskies take on Delaware at Parsons Field Friday at 6 p.m. before traveling to Drexel Sunday at 1 p.m.