LAUDERHILL, Fla. – A three-goal onslaught in the second half led adiPower to a dominating 4-1 victory adiPure in the final game of the 2012 MLS Combine on Tuesday.
Lucky Mkosana (Dartmouth), Tony Walls (UW-Green Bay), Calum Mallace (Marquette) and Jason Banton (England, pictued above) all got their names on the score sheet, leading adiPower to an undefeated 3-0 record at the combine. Andrew Duran (Creighton) scored for AdiPure, who finished with a 1-1-1 mark.
Mkosana opened the scoring in the 13th minute. Collecting a nice diagonal ball from of the back, the Ivy League striker controlled the ball with his chest in the box and casually slotted it past goalkeeper Chris Blais.
Two minutes later, Mkosana had a chance from another long ball, but he hesitated on the ball and had his shot blocked by defender Andy Rose (UCLA).
MatchCenter: adiPower 4, adiPure 1
A third opportunity came the way of Mkosana in the 28th minute, as left back Hunter Jumper (Virginia) got down the left flank, sending in a picture-perfect cross that Mkosana glanced wide of goal.
While adiPure struggled to threaten Brian Rowe’s (UCLA) goal, adiPower struck three times early in the second half to put the game away.
First, Walls was in the right place at the right time on a corner kick that adiPure failed to clear, and he drove home a shot that deflected past Blais.
Mallace then scored what could have been the goal of the combine. Played in behind the adiPure back line, Mallace allowed the defense to catch up and over run the ball, calmly curling the ball into the upper corner of the net.
Banton got in on the act two minutes later, going on a long, mazy run towards Blais’ goal, and just kept his footing to drive home adiPower’s fourth goal of the game with his left foot.
In the 70th minute, adiPure got their consolation goal. Sunday’s hat trick hero Ethan Finlay (Creighton) found space on the right flank and sent in a cross that neither of the adiPower center backs could clear, allowing Duran to pop up from his midfield spot to hammer home past Rowe.
