Men's & Women's Soccer Standouts Smith, Johansson, Panaro and Goncalves Named to 2009 NE-10 Fall All-Academic Teams
Rachel Smith, Angelika Johansson, Amanda Panaro for the women’s team; Victor Goncalves for the men’s team
RINDGE, N.H. (February 4, 2010) – The
Franklin Pierce University men’s and women’s soccer
teams were honored on Thursday as each team had at least one member
named to the 2009 Northeast-10 All-Academic Soccer Teams. Three
women’s soccer players were named to the women’s side,
including senior back Rachel Smith (Chichester,
N.H.), junior forward Angelika Johansson
(Falkenberg, Sweden) and sophomore forward Amanda
Panaro (Rockland, Mass.). Sophomore midfielder
Victor Goncalves (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) was
named to the men’s team.
To be eligible for selection to the All-Academic Team,
student-athletes were required to meet three requirements.
Student-athletes must have participated in at least half of their
team’s competitions as a starter or significant contributor,
achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) and
completed at least one academic year at their current institution.
The All-Academic Team was chosen by a vote of Northeast-10
Conference Sports Information Directors.
Smith, the 2009 NE-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, made the
academic team after she posted a cumulative GPA of 3.84 in her
major of sports & recreation management and her minor in
marketing. It marked the third major academic award of the year for
Smith, who was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic
All-District I First-Team back in the fall, and then earned a spot
on the publication’s Academic All-America Second-Team a few
weeks later. Smith earned the league’s top defensive player
award for the second-straight year this past season and was placed
on the all-league first-team. She anchored a Ravens defense which
yielded less than a goal a game, as that impressive statistic
helped land Smith on the 2009 Daktronics All-America
Third-Team.
Johansson, who earned a pair of second-team All-America honors this
season, was placed on the conference’s academic team as she
has totaled a 3.98 GPA in mathematics. Johansson scored 20 goals
and assisted on three others this season for 43 points. She ranked
among the league and national leaders in goals and points, and thus
was named to the all-league first-team and the Daktronics All-East
Region First-Team. Johansson joined Smith on both ESPN The Magazine
All-Academic teams, including being named a second-team Academic
All-American in late November.
Panaro earned a spot on the league’s academic team for the
first time in her career as she posted a 3.47 GPA in her major of
mass communications. She finished with four goals and an assist
this season for nine points and was named to the All-Northeast-10
Second-Team. Panaro provided solid play during the conference
championship and also earned a spot on the league’s
All-Tournament Team.
Goncalves was placed on the men’s side as he posted a
cumulative GPA of 3.65 in his major of management. He tied for
second on the team in goals with six in 2009 and ranked third on
the squad with 15 points. Goncalves earned First-Team
All-Northeast-10 honors following the regular season and then was
recognized by Daktronics as he was placed on its All-East Region
Second-Team.
The Franklin Pierce women’s soccer team finished the 2009
season with an 18-5-1 record and a No. 13 national ranking in the
NSCAA/adidas Top-25 Poll. The Ravens advanced to the Northeast-10
Championship game for the ninth time in 10 seasons since joining
the league in 2000, and earned the program’s NCAA Division
II-record 18th-consecutive trip to the national tournament.
The Ravens men’s squad ended the year with a 13-5-3 record
and a No. 16 ranking in the national poll. Franklin Pierce advanced
to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the seventh-straight season
and for the 15th time overall in program history.
For more information on the Franklin Pierce men’s and
women’s soccer teams, please visit their respective pages at
athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)