Off Missing List, Thomas Will Move On

NORTHRIDGE — Nikki Thomas, the Cal State Northridge women’s soccer recruit who was the subject of a missing person’s report earlier this week, did not contact her mother or university officials because she was afraid to disclose she no longer wants to play soccer, Matador Coach Brian Wiesner said Saturday.

Wiesner, who spoke to Thomas by phone for about 20 minutes Saturday, said the recruit told him she aggravated a back injury in the past several months and would be unable to compete to her satisfaction.

Thomas, who was unaware that her mother, coach and the police were searching for her, will fly back to Toronto today, Wiesner said.

Thomas, a 23-year-old senior transfer from the University of Detroit Mercy, last winter accepted a Northridge athletic scholarship worth about $8,000.

She intended to call Wiesner after flying to Los Angeles from Toronto last Sunday but lost his number and became embarrassed to call as the week progressed, Wiesner said.

“She said she was going to come [to Los Angeles] and tell me but day by day she got more afraid to face the music,” Wiesner said. “She said she had a lot of emotions and was afraid of letting down a whole bunch of people.”

Without Thomas, the Matadors are thin in goal. The Canadian native was to be one of five goalkeepers reporting for preseason practice, but for a variety of reasons, only Tawni Takagi and Kelly MacGuann are taking part.

Takagi, a sophomore, was the starter last season, when Northridge (4-15-1) allowed an average of 2.7 goals per match.

Signing a goalkeeper became a pressing concern for Wiesner, and Thomas holds Detroit Mercy records for saves in a match, season and career.

Wiesner, who declined comment on how the scholarship earmarked for Thomas might be used, said he is disappointed but not angry with her.

“Competitively, I’m let down, but from a human standpoint I’m very relieved that she’s OK,” Wiesner said.

Wiesner said Thomas agreed to write a statement detailing her reasons for not accepting the scholarship and absolving Northridge of responsibility in her disappearance.

Thomas was to write the statement Saturday and mail it to Wiesner before leaving Los Angeles.

Carol Thomas, Nikki’s mother, earlier this week described her daughter as a movie buff who yearned to travel to Los Angeles and immerse herself in the entertainment industry. Saturday, Carol Thomas said she was satisfied her daughter was safe and cautiously exploring Los Angeles alone in the past week.

“She was checking out the movie studios, the tapings, all those kind of things,” Carol Thomas said.

Wiesner said Thomas was in a Hollywood hotel room reading a book when he spoke to her and told him she was using taxis for transportation.

Concern for Thomas began when she failed to appear at preseason activities this week after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport from Toronto last Sunday.

The recruit left her mother an answering machine message six hours after arriving and used a automated teller to withdraw $120 Tuesday from an account she and her mother share. The call was traced to Van Nuys and the withdrawal to Burbank.

A call from Carol Thomas to Toronto police Wednesday generated a missing person’s report that was filed Thursday with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Thomas called Wiesner’s office answering machine Friday night and heard a recorded greeting mentioning her disappearance. She immediately called her mother in Mississauga, Ontario, and the LAPD to report that she was not missing.

She left Wiesner a message apologizing for her absence and left him another message Saturday asking that he call her hotel.

Pam Karbowski, a senior defender for Northridge, said Saturday she is relieved to concentrate on soccer after five days of wondering about Thomas’ whereabouts.

“It definitely distracted the team,” Karbowski said. “It was such an awkward situation and we just didn’t know anything.”

Now the Matadors can focus on their opener Aug. 24 at UCLA.

“None of the indications pointed toward anything good,” Wiesner said. “But she’s all right and we’ll just chalk it up as a weird experience.”