All three named to NSCAA All-East Region First-Team; Demoner and Johansson earn All-America status as well

RINDGE, N.H. (December 10, 2009) – Franklin Pierce University women’s soccer standouts Gabriela Demoner (Vitoria, Brazil), Angelika Johansson (Falkenberg, Sweden) and Rachel Smith (Chichester, N.H.) earned post-season honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), as announced by the organization on Thursday. All three earned First-Team All-East Region honors, while Demoner and Johansson were named second-team and third-team All-Americans, respectively.

Demoner, a senior midfielder, was named an NSCAA All-American and All-Region pick for the fourth-consecutive season. The honor comes just days after she was selected to compete on the Brazilian National Team at the 2009 Internation Tournament in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Thursday’s All-America and All-Region awards are the latest in a long line of honors for Demoner, who has also collected the following awards this season: 2009 Daktronics First-Team All-American; 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 this season. Her goals and points each ranked among the top-five nationally. 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 third-team All-America honor from the NSCAA was the third time in as many seasons she was recognized as an All-American from the organization. The junior forward and team co-captain has locked up several other honors this past season, including: 2009 Daktronics Second-Team All-American; 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.

Smith’s First-Team All-East Region selection by the NSCAA marked the second time in three 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 Third-Team All-American; 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.

Franklin Pierce concluded the season with an 18-5-1 record. The Ravens advanced to the Northeast-10 Tournament Championship game for the second-consecutive season and for the ninth time in 10 seasons since joining the league in 2000. Franklin Pierce also advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament’s East Regional Championship after picking up a pair of wins in both the first and second rounds of the competition.

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