From CAA Reports

BROOKLINE, Mass., Nov. 6, 2009 -- James Madison upset top-seeded Northeastern 3-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association women's soccer tournament semifinals Friday evening at Parsons Field.

The fourth-seeded Dukes advance to Sunday's CAA championship game (1 p.m.) against number three seed North Carolina Wilmington, which slipped by second-seeded Hofstra 2-1 in overtime in Friday's first semifinal game.

JMU improved its record to 11-7-1 while Northeastern's record is now 12-4-3.

Northeastern, which lost for the first time at home this season (7-1-2 record), saw its four-game winning streak and its seven-game unbeaten streak (7-0-2) end.

Junior Teresa Rynier (Leola, Pa./Conestoga Valley) assisted all three JMU scores and in doing so broke her own season assist record.  Her season total of 15 surpasses the school-record 14 Rynier set last season.  She also increased her school career-record total to 40 assists.

JMU scored the game-winning goal in the 65th minute.  With the match tied at 1-1, Rynier lofted a perfectly placed corner kick from the right side to redshirt senior Teri Maykoski (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) in front of the goal.  She headed the ball to sophomore Yolie Anderson-Golhor (Ottawa, Ontario/Louis-Riel), who headed the ball by Huskies' keeper Stephanie Gordon for her first goal of the season.

The Huskies got the tying goal less than three minutes into the second half. Sophomore Veronica Napoli crossed the ball from the left side to Sandra Magnusdottir in the middle of the box. The freshman used the outside of her left foot to push the ball past Wszalek into the left corner of the net from five yards out.  The goal was Magnusdottir's third of the season.

The Dukes tacked on an insurance goal with just over 10 minutes remaining.  Rynier sent a beautiful pass from just past midfield to junior Cate Tisinger (Clifton, Va./Centreville), who was streaking down the middle of the field.  Tisinger out-raced the defender and then sent a 15-yard laser past a charging Gordon into the left side of the net.

Both teams had scoring chances early in the first half before JMU was able to grab a 1-0 advantage in the 31st minute.  Rynier received a pass from senior Ashley Flateland (Fox Island, Wash./Gig Harbor) and then sent a feed to Maykoski along the right side of the box.  Maykoski turned and fired a 23-yard shot that snuck into the left corner of the net.  The goal was the first of the year for Maykoski.
 
Northeastern had a few good opportunities to get on the board in the first half. In the 17th minute, Napoli drove into the left side of the box and fired a 10-yard shot toward the right post, but JMU redshirt junior goalkeeper Diane Wszalek (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) made a diving save.  With just over 10 minutes to go in the half, a 30-yard free kick by the Huskies' Greta Samuelsdottir was deflected over the crossbar by Wszalek.

Northeastern held a 19-13 advantage on shots, while JMU took five corner kicks to two for the Huskies.

Wszalek made seven saves and Gordon stopped five shots.

In the first semifinal, UNCW sophomore midfielder Erin Pardini's goal with 2:39 left in overtime lifted UNCW to its 2-1 victory over Hofstra.

JMU will play in its fifth CAA championship game and has advanced to the final for the first time since 2006.  The Dukes won CAA crowns in 1995 and 2002.

UNCW will make its first-ever appearance in the CAA title match.

The Seahawks, who enter the final riding a four-game winning streak, beat JMU 1-0 in overtime in Harrisonburg in the teams' regular-season meeting on Oct. 2.