WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Canada – Wednesday, June 8, 2011 – John Sosa scored a goal and assisted two more, including Finn Jor’s game-winner, helping the Des Moines Menace hold on for a thrilling 4-3 victory over WSA Winnipeg.

The Menace (6-1-0) escaped Winnipeg Indoor Soccer Complex tonight with back-to-back wins to jump-start its stretch of four contests in five days.

“It’s fantastic,” said Menace head coach Laurie Calloway, whose forces continue their Canadian tour with matches Friday and Saturday at Thunder Bay. “We’re halfway toward the goal of going 4-0 (on the trip).”

After winning 2-0 yesterday, Des Moines quickly grabbed a two-goal lead tonight. Matt LaGrossa, who scored in his Menace debut last night, opened the scoring in the 7th minute, set up by a Sosa free kick. Four minutes later, Husref Jupic assisted Sosa’s first goal of the season, and things were looking rosy for the visitors.

WSA Winnipeg (1-3-0), a scrappy expansion club in the Premier Development League’s Heartland Division, didn’t go down easily.The Manitobans nullified the early lead, scoring back-to-back goals for a halftime tie.

“It looked like this one would be one-sided, when we were up two goals just 11 minutes in,” Calloway said. “Then we let them back into the game. I told (assistant coach) Neathan (Gibson), ‘These guys are going to kill me.’"

Bryan Perez put the Menace up for good 30 seconds into the second half. Jupic assisted Perez, who has scored in each of the team’s last three matches.

Jor finished off another Sosa free kick in the 53rd minute, providing much needed insurance in this high-scoring affair. Amos Ganyea’s goal in the 69th minute was the only scoring the rest of the way.

“The guys are very happy,” Calloway said. “We can feel good about these two wins, but we also know we can do better. We’ve got to keep improving.”

The Menace also knows it doesn’t get easier, as the bus rolls on to Ontario for back-to-back clashes with the Thunder Bay Chill, the team’s arch-rival and the PDL’s 2010 runner-up.

Des Moines sits atop the Heartland Division standings, next to Real Colorado (6-0-0). The Foxes play a double-header in Winnipeg this weekend.

MR. B MAN of the MATCH goes to: Midfield dynamo John Sosa, for the second night in a row and the third time this season. His two assists tonight give him nine in only six appearances – good for a share of the league lead. Sosa has 11 points, second on the team to only Deshorn Brown’s 12.

UP NEXT: The Menace is halfway through its four-game roadtrip. Next up: 6:30 p.m. CDT contests on Friday and Saturday at Chapples Park in Thunder Bay. Fans and the media can follow all Menace action – home and away – with live in-game tweets at www.Twitter.com/MenaceSoccer.

The Menace is back at Valley Stadium on Tuesday, June 14, hosting Chicago Fire PDL in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The team plays all home matches at 7:30 p.m.

Match: Des Moines Menace at WSA Winnipeg
Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Competition: Premier Development League regular-season match
Venue: Winnipeg Indoor Soccer Complex in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CDT


Scoring Summary:     1   2   F
MENACE                      2    2    4
WSA                            2   1    3

MENACE – Matt LaGrassa (John Sosa) 7:00; Sosa (Husref Jupic) 11:00; Bryan Perez (Jupic) 46:00; Finn Jor (Sosa) 53:00
WSA – Ali Musse (Adam Bromley)19:00; Mujtaba Sharifi (Musse) 38:00; Amos Ganye 69:00

Stats Summary: MENACE / WSA
Shots: 15 / 9
Saves: 1 / 6
Corner Kicks: 1 / 3
Fouls: 13 / 15
Offside: 0 / 2

Misconduct Summary: Menace Yellow Cards: Anthony Colaizzi 74:00; WSA Yellow Cards: Valeriy Kornilov 50:00; Ivan Garcia 87:00; Adam Bromley 89:00