Loukas Tasigianis, King of Rhodes?
That moniker may be a little premature - but if he keeps playing as well as he did against Yale on Saturday night, he'll earn it.
The sensational-of-late freshman netted two goals, including the extra-time gamewinner, as Penn edged out Yale 2-1 in a key Ivy matchup.
"I've scored gamewinners in high school," Tasigianis said. "But it's nothing compared to college."
Going into Saturday night, the Red and Blue (5-6-2, 2-1 Ivy) looked shaky, dropping their last two games without scoring a goal. Having already dropped one Ivy game, they couldn't afford another loss.
And Penn benefited from the energetic Homecoming atmosphere against Yale (2-5-4, 0-1-2) at Rhodes Field.
Within 25 seconds of kickoff, Quakers striker Andrew Ferry got a break downfield. Tasigianis came streaking down the left side, and took a one-timer from Ferry that beat Yale keeper Erik Geiger.
"The whole team was really psyched starting the game," Tasigianis said.
But that intensity and energy began to work against the Quakers, as the Elis gradually built up attacks and put the pressure on Penn goalkeeper Drew Healy and his defense.
In the 26th minute, Yale was finally able to turn its attack into a goal. Off a set piece, the Elis generated enough confusion in the box so that midfielder Andy Shorten could slip one past Healy for the equalizer.
"We came out with good intensity and scored," Penn coach Rudy Fuller said. "But that intensity also made it tough for us to get into a rhythm."
Things turned Penn's way in the second half. The Quakers began to win a large portion of 50-50 balls, and were also able to win balls in the midfield off goal kicks.
"Winning that battle is about determination," Fuller said. "And kudos to my guys for settling down but staying determined."
Despite good play in the second half, the Quakers had cause for despair. They'd come upon chance after chance, but were unable to bury it.
The Red and Blue dominated the first overtime period, but again were stymied by their own poor finishing.
However, according to Fuller, "they stayed resilient and didn't lose their focus."
A stout Penn defense, led by senior captain Keith Vereb - who Fuller called the man of the match - kept any late-game Yale attack at bay. The Quakers outshot the Elis 11-3 through the second half and overtime.
And again, less than a minute after kickoff in the second overtime, the Penn attack broke downfield. Tasigianis took a pass on the left side from junior Omid Shokoufandeh and drilled it into the twine.
For a while, it looked as if the Quakers would have to once again settle for a tie where they should have won.
Not this time, though.
"We've been getting unlucky," Tasigianis said. "But we knew it would come for us eventually."
