For years,
Luis Garcia Sosa has seen firsthand what
Justin Ikeora is capable with the ball at his feet. The pair of Master's seniors won a regional title together at Valencia High School before choosing to remain in the Santa Clarita Valley for college. Ikeora's ability to wow has not diminished in that time.
"He's the most talented player on this team," Garcia Sosa said Saturday after a 2-1 loss to Westcliff University (CA) in double overtime. "Athletically, he brings a lot of speed, finishing, aggressiveness. He's a complete player and honestly we just have to give him the ball and he can do the rest."
Saturday, it was hard to argue.
In the 64th minute,
Dylan Bielanski slotted a perfect through ball that Ikeora ran onto and blasted past the Westcliff keeper. It was the Mustangs' lone goal in what became their fifth straight overtime appearance to begin the year. But, it was not the only display of why TMU coach
Jim Rickard moved Ikeora from his normal defending role to attacker, a position he thrived in during Valencia's run to a regional title in 2016.
Near the end of Saturday's first overtime, Ikeora took the ball and turned a corner, driving more than a quarter of the field. He attempted a shot with the outside of his foot, and the ball found the far post, bouncing back to Warrior goalie Josh Glover. "I thought it was going in," said Ikeora, who attempted four of TMU's 17 shots.
The Mustangs (1-1-3) put seven tries on frame, and they held the Warriors to five shots overall. But, the one that counted came in the 101st minute when Nick Frost scored off an assist from Cesar Ortega, dropping TMU to its first loss of the season.
"Classic soccer loss," Rickard said. "Lots of chances and you don't finish them and you lose. I'm disappointed with the way we started the game off. We had several early chances and didn't finish. You're going to lose at some point when you are in multiple overtime games."
Westcliff took its first lead in the 31st minute when Kevin Belmonte launched a pass toward a sprinting Daniel Abrego, who chipped it over TMU keeper
Price Anderson and into the goal.
The Mustangs (1-1-3) managed only three shots before the break, but they applied ample pressure to the Warriors (4-3) over the final 45 minutes of regulation. Master's attempted 10 shots during that span, Ikeora's first goal of the season evening the score.
An All-Golden State Athletic Conference defender last year, Ikeora said he isn't opposed to playing forward.
"I like going at guys," he said. "I want that freedom to take guys on and produce."
The Mustangs will host La Sierra University (CA) at TMU on Friday at 4 p.m. Rickard remains confident Master's is trending in the right direction.
"I'm excited for the season and have seen a lot of encouraging things," he said. "We need to stay focused on preparing for conference."
