Demoner named to first-team; Johansson to second-team; and Smith to third-team

RINDGE, N.H. (December 1, 2009) – Franklin Pierce University women’s soccer standouts Gabriela Demoner (Vitoria, Brazil), Angelika Johansson (Falkenberg, Sweden) and Rachel Smith (Chichester, N.H.) were named Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Americans on Tuesday, as announced by the organization. Demoner earned first-team honors, while Johansson and Smith earned second-team and third-team recognition, respectively.

Demoner, a senior midfielder, was named a Daktronics All-American for the fourth-consecutive year. She earned first-team honors as a freshman (2006) and sophomore (2007), and garnered second-team status as a junior (2008).

Tuesday’s All-America award is the latest in a long line of honors for Demoner, who has also collected the following awards this season: 2009 Daktronics, Inc. East Region Player of the Year; 2009 Daktronics, Inc. All-East Region First-Team; 2009 Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year; and 2009 Northeast-10 First-Team.

Demoner scored 32 goals and assisted on eight others for 72 points during the season. Her goals and points each rank among the top-five nationally (as of Nov. 22). Demoner also led all of NCAA women’s soccer (Divisions I, II & III) in goals scored throughout a large portion of the 2009 regular season.

Johansson’s second-team All-America honor from Daktronics was the third of her career. She earned honorable-mention honors as a freshman in 2007 and first-team recognition as a sophomore in 2008. The junior forward and team co-captain has locked up several other honors this past season, including: 2009 Daktronics, Inc. All-East Region First-Team; 2009 Northeast-10 First-Team; 2009 ESPN The Magazine Second-Team Academic All-American; and 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I First-Team.

Johansson was one of the conference and national leaders this season in goals scored and points. She scored 20 goals and added three assists this season for 43 points. Johansson ranks 18th nationally in goals per game (0.8) and 31st nationally in points per game (1.79).

Smith’s third-team All-America selection from Daktronics marked the third time in as many seasons she was placed on the team. The senior back and team co-captain also gathered her share of accolades this past season, including: 2009 Daktronics, Inc. All-East Region First-Team; 2009 Northeast-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year; 2009 Northeast-10 First-Team; 2009 ESPN The Magazine Second-Team Academic All-American; and 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I First-Team.

Smith turned in a strong offensive season for the Ravens as she scored three goals for six points. However, it was her defensive effort that made Smith one of the top players in the nation. She anchored a defense that produced 12 shutouts and yielded an average of less than one goal per game.

Sports information directors from NCAA Division II schools and conferences selected the three Daktronics All-America teams. The process began at the regional level with all first-team all-region picks advancing to the national ballot. This is the fourth year Daktronics has sponsored the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer All-American and all-region teams. A total of 39 student-athletes, representing 23 different schools filled out the three All-America squads.

For more information on Franklin Pierce women’s soccer, please visit the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)