LAUDERHILL, Fla. – Two first-half goals set the tone for adiZero on Tuesday, as they triumphed on the final day of the MLS Combine with a 3-1 victory against Prime.
Evan James (UNC Charlotte) picked up a goal and an assist for adiZero, who finished the combine with a 1-1-1 record. International Aldo Paniagua (Paraguary, above right) tallied for Prime, who finished with a 0-3 record at the combine.
AdiZero took the lead early on, as James scored in the fifth minute. With space at the top of the penalty area, he took a nice layoff from Evans Frimpong (Delaware) and curled a shot into the back of the net past goalkeeper Jhojan Obando (Providence).
A quick equalizer almost materialized for Prime in the 10th minute, as Darren Mattocks (Akron) turned his defender and raced into the box, but his low cross barely evaded the slide of teammate R.J. Allen (Monmouth).
Warren Creavalle (Central Florida) then doubled the lead for adiZero with a tidy left-footed finish from the top of the box that Obando had little chance to stop.
Early in the second half, Mykell Bates (Santa Clara) almost extended the lead from a corner kick, but a sprawling Obando saved the effort.
Six minutes after halftime, Paniagua converted a low cross from James Kiffe (UC Santa Barbara) to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The margin didn’t last long, however, as Dom Dwyer (South Florida) found himself in the right place at the right time in the 52nd minute. The Generation adidas signing was on hand to poke home a deflected shot from Colin Rolfe (Louisville) to restore the two-goal advantage.
AdiZero should have extended their lead in the 56th minute, when Miguel Ibarra (UC Irvine) opened up space down the left flank, but Dwyer couldn’t convert from four yards out, lifting his volley over the bar.
Prime wasted a late opportunity to close the gap, as Eder Arreola (UCLA) failed to get a free kick on frame. Arreola did test ‘keeper Ryan Meara (Fordham) late on, but Prime couldn’t add a second goal on the morning.
