College Invitational Combine Day 1: Archimede, Perez and Kizza provide goals

The 2020 College Invitational Combine kicked off at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday with the opening doubleheader of a three-day event which features elite college soccer players from across the country divided into four teams named after Sporting Legends.

Team Gansler and Team Hunt led off the action on Children’s Mercy Victory Field with a 1-1 draw punctuated by Oregon State midfielder Sofiane Djeffal’s shot off the crossbar in the first half and a pair of goals in the second half, including a last-gasp equalizer in stoppage time.

Syracuse University’s Luther Archimede, a member of the Guadeloupe Men’s National Team, struck first for Team Hunt in the 46th minute with a finish inside the far post just 10 minutes after entering the match as a halftime substitute.

University of Central Florida midfielder Louis Perez provided a similar spark off the bench for Team Gansler, hammering a shot off the crossbar in the 62nd minute then burying a free kick on the final play of the game to level the score at 1-1.

Team Johnston prevailed in the nightcap by a 1-0 scoreline with the game’s lone goal coming from former University of Pittsburgh forward Edward Kizza in the 62nd minute off a corner. Two minutes earlier, Akron’s Carlo Ritaccio had nearly opened the scoring only to see his header carom off the near post.

University of Michigan goalkeeper Owen Finnerty earned the clean sheet in net.

The College Invitational Combine serves as a new player identification platform for clubs in Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League ahead of the 2021 season. Technical staff members and scouts representing MLS and USL clubs across the United States and Canada are in attendance for the inaugural event.

SportingKC.com will provide daily recaps from the combine, including match results, recaps and box scores.

Team Gansler 1-1 Team Hunt
Nov. 13, 2020 – Swope Soccer Village (Kansas City, MO)
College Invitational Combine – Game One (70-minute match)

Scoring Summary:
Team Hunt – Luther Archimede 46’
Team Gansler – Louis Perez 70+2'

Team Gansler: Will Palmquist; Joshua Drack, Aime Mabika (Josh Bauer 51), Josh Bauer (Sondre Norheim 36), Patrick Wilkinson; Gabriel Costa (Jon-Talen Maples 36), Jacob Stensson (Adrian Billhardt 36), Jacob Montes (Louis Perez 36); Leroy Enzugusi (Tyrone Mondi 36), Preston Judd (Leroy Enzugusi 51), Jamil Roberts (Frank Daroma 36, Jamil Roberts 51)

Team Hunt: Patrick Schulte; Charlie Ostrem (Chase Bromstedt 36), Ethan Bartlow (Lamine Conte 36), Frederik Kleeman (Nabi Kibunguchy 36), Logan Panchot; Sofiane Djeffal (Mitchell Guitar 52), Sebastian Schacht, Mitchell Guitar (Mark Winhofer 36); Rodney Michael (Kalil Elmedkhar 36), Thomas Williamson (Luther Archimede 36), Daniel Trejo (Thomas Williamson 52)

Team Johnston 1-0 Team Conrad
Nov. 13, 2020 – Swope Soccer Village (Kansas City, MO)
College Invitational Combine – Game Two (70-minute match)

Scoring Summary:
Team Johnston – Edward Kizza 62’

Team Conrad: AJ Marucci; Matt Di Rosa (Rafael Bustamante 36), Iwan Webster (Farai Mutatu 54), CC Uche (Vukashin Latinovich 54), Ben Di Rosa (Matt Di Rosa 54); Justin Sukow (Eric Matzelevich 54), Vukashin Latinovich (Hal Uderitz 36), Haji Abdikadir (Paul Rothrock 54); Paul Rothrock (Praise Kabwe 36), Eric Matzelevich (Karsen Henderlong 36), Farai Mutatu (Declan McGlynn 36)

Team Johnston: Owen Finnerty; Carlo Ritaccio, Rio Hope-Gund (Thomas Judge 56), Thomas Judge (Jackson Ragen 36), Umar Farouk Osman (Avionne Flanagan 36); Yonatan Sorokine, Paulo Lima, Josue Monge (Sunkyu Bin 56); Sunkyu Bin (Ryan Khedoo 36), Derek Dodson (Edward Kizza 36), Milo Yosef (Josh Luchini 36)

College Invitational Combine: Match Schedule
All matches at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Mo.