Scoring is at a premium in the game of soccer and becomes even more of a concern when a top scorer or two graduates, as detailed in the 2019 TMU Men’s Soccer Preview.

Therein lies the challenge for TMU head coach Jim Rickard, who hopes to replace the offense generated by 2018 seniors Benji Tembo and Trevor Mangan.

Tembo, a two-time Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year, scored 10 times and assisted on five others, while Mangan, an All-GSAC pick, tallied career-highs of 11 goals, 11 assists, and 33 points.

But, dynamic as they were, those two weren’t the only ones who contributed to an offense that helped the Mustangs men’s soccer team climb within one point of a trip to the NAIA national tournament.

Midfielder Luis Garcia Sosa returns for his senior year following a superb junior campaign that featured nine goals and a GSAC-leading five game-winning goals. He earned his second consecutive all-conference selection in the process.

Fellow midfielder Dylan Bielanski returns for his final collegiate campaign on the heels of a breakout junior season during which he became a legitimate scoring threat with career-highs of seven goals and 16 points.

“We are all excited for the season and focused on a good start,” said Rickard. “We’re looking to integrate 12 new players, 10 of which are freshmen.

“The pre-conference schedule will provide a lot of challenges before we open at Vanguard (Oct. 3). A few of the players should make an immediate impact, but we’ll be relying heavily on our seniors for leadership.”

One of those seniors is center defender Justin Ikeora, one of only three four-year veterans on the squad. He was an All-GSAC selection last year after anchoring a defense that notched five shutouts and allowed just 24 goals in 19 matches.

“I hope we keep a low goals-against (average),” said Ikeora. “I’m hoping to help lead the team since I’m in an important position and a senior.”

Ikeora, who will take the ball up the field at times, will get plenty of help in turning back opposing offenses with fellow center defender Cameron Molyneux returning to a starting role while senior Tyler Grassi and sophomore Kellen Dresdow have earned starting nods on the left and right sides, respectively.

More defensive support will come from the midfield, where junior transfer Armando Torres – who could also be utilized at center defender – will drop back, allowing Garcia Sosa to concentrate on attacking at the other end.

Orchestrating the tempo of each match will be the primary responsibility of newcomer Steve Banda. The lithe center midfielder, noted for his ability to get the ball to teammates in scoring situations, continues the line of superb men’s soccer athletes to come to TMU from Malawi, following in the footsteps of Tembo and Humphrey Mahowa, a three-time All-American from 2014-16.

Banda’s targets include a trio of forwards who are either new to the program or making position switches. Bielanski developed into a potent threat last year and will move from the midfield to center forward. Junior Peter Mackay has been used primarily as a defender during his first two years on the club but will now take on more of a scoring load as a right forward.

Of the starting trio up front, freshman Prince Chingancheke, another Malawi product, may be the most intriguing. He’s very young but is a dynamic player with vast offensive potential.

“Prince is talented,” said Rickard, “and we are hoping he can be effective as a freshman with goals and assists.”

It’s this group of midfielders and forwards that has the chance of putting up the offensive numbers that left with Tembo and Mangan.

Depth is always a key in a game that involves a lot of movement over 90 minutes – and sometimes more – of action and Rickard will need to find those who can provide it at a quality level.

The lone battle for a starter leading up to opening day on August 23 was in goal where competition has developed between sophomore Price Anderson and freshman David Quijano Serna.

Anderson has more experience at the NAIA level of the two keepers, having played between the pipes in 12 matches last year and posting two shutouts while Quijano Serna brings winning experience from Colombia.

The pre-conference challenges Rickard referred to include matches against UC Merced (at the Heritage Club Classic at Westmont) and Marymount California University, two clubs that received votes in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Mustangs will also play No. 18 Kansas Wesleyan on August 31 at Reese Field.

Those and the other non-conference men’s soccer matches should prepare the Mustangs for the conference opener at preseason favorite Vanguard, the two-time defending GSAC regular-season champion and the nation’s 11th-ranked squad in the preseason poll.

Other featured matches include a home meeting with perennial-power Westmont on October 19 and a road contest at No. 22 Arizona Christian a week later.

— By Don Gilmore, TMU Assistant Sports Information Director