Go Gianandres Go!

MEDIAPOLIS - With 14 different nations represented on the roster, you never know where the Iowa Wesleyan men's soccer team might find a boost. On Wednesday afternoon, that boost came from Venezuela.

Gianandres Franceschi Santosol, the lone Venezuelan on the Tiger squad, scored two humongous, one to equalize the game in the second half, and one to win the game 2-1 in double overtime.

'I felt so, so good because these were my first goals,” said Santosol. 'I'm so excited, and happy.”

The freshman's first career goal came in the 82nd minute, a header off a deep pass from Julio Olmedo. That knotted the game up at 1-1, with less than eight minutes on the clock.

Both team had their chances to pull ahead 2-1 in regulation, but the game stayed in a 1-1 stalemate until the second extra period, when Franceschi Santorsola's right foot sent the golden goal past Fontbonne goalkeeper Ethan Cowell, giving the Tigers their first win under new head coach Jorge Sierra Galeas.

'The team stuck together,” said the first year head coach. 'They never backed down or put their head down. They kept going.”

Galeas took over for the team this winter when head coach Tony Odorisio stepped down to pursue other opportunities. Galeas calls Odorisio his mentor and says his squad wants to finish what Odorisio started.

'We're trying to build a championship team,” said Galeas. 'This is already a championship team, but we want to take them to new heights.”

The Tigers will continue their SLIAC quest on Saturday when they hit the road to play at Eureka College.