Dec. 16, 2007

PENSACOLA, Fla. - When the 2007 Daktronics NCAA Division II All-American team for Women's Soccer was released, it marked the third straight season that West Florida has been represented with an All-American selection.

Sophomore forward Dernelle Mascall earned All-American selection, while sophomore goalkeeper Courtney Jones was named Honorable Mention All-American represented UWF Women's Soccer by being named to the Daktronics All-American Team. Mascall was the leading offensive weapon for the Argonauts this season, while Jones is the anchor of a tremendous West Florida defense that put together a run of over 900 minutes without allowing a goal.

Argonaut Head Coach Joe Bartlinski talked about his two stars, "I am excited for these two players and their well deserved honors. Courtney led a defense that was number one in the country for shutout percentage at both the DI and DII level, and that is impressive." Jones posted an impressive 0.44 goals against average this season, as she only allowed eight goals in 1,623 minutes of play and faced 114 shots from the opponents. She posted 14 shutouts this season, and now has a career total of 25 shutouts, which is among the top five best ever in the Gulf South Conference.

Bartlinski is a defensive minded coach, but he was equally excited for his offensive weapon, as he talked about Mascall's season. "Dernelle's stats were equally impressive, as she smashed the UWF single season goals, and total points records. Finishing the season, ranked third nationally in both DI and DII for total points, just speaks for itself. However, the accomplishment I am most impressed with, is D (Dernelle Mascall) had 10 game winning goals, something unheard of at this level. She not only scored goals, but scored them at the right times."

Mascall scored 23 goals this season, including four hat-tricks, and her ten assists gave her a total of 56 points. Impressively, Mascall scored 23 goals with only 33 shots on goal. Her statistics show a very efficient offensive player, and to go with Jones' defensive stats, the two stars were a big part of the Argonauts being ranked in the top 10 nationally for the entire season. Bartlinski concluded by saying, "What I am excited most about with both of these youngsters, is that they are both just sophomores. Their careers and the UWF future for Women's Soccer is very bright."

For the first time in league history, the Gulf South Conference was represented by five players on the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer All-America team. Two Montevallo players and one Ouachita Baptist player joined Mascall and Jones as All-American representatives from the GSC. Montevallo junior forward Stacey Balaam earned First Team honors while junior defender Adele Jackson was Honorable Mention. The honors are the first in Lady Falcons' history. Ouachita Baptist sophomore defender Sarah Reed earned the Lady Tigers' first All-America selection, as she was named to the third Team.