The Byki Over 30 Team faced longtime rivals Gato Verde last Saturday at soggy Jackman Field in search of a strong start to the 2008 season. Although the match was a mixture of good and bad for the Byki, their biggest weakness from 2007 is still the area that needs the most improvement: better play in the attack. Gato Verde came away 3:1 winners, but the Byki did not leave the field with their heads hanging.

After Wei Zhang’s untimely departure for a new job in New Jersey, George Gorecki has joined Eric Tower to run the Over 30 Team. They plan to use the same approach that Gorecki had used on the oldboys during the winter season. They are seeking the most committed players and are looking to build a squad that can learn how to play together. Once that is established, it will be easier to improve the group’s talent level.

“I want every player to understand that playing your best every Saturday is very important,” said Gorecki. “And that doesn’t happen by accident, it happens on the practice field. During the indoor season, the Over 30s showed me that they’re committed and that allowed us to approach the games with unity and cohesion. The players who are the most committed and playing their best are the ones who will lead our team.”

The muddy and rutted pitch was not the ideal playing surface, and the players had to contend with the field’s significant crown, which made passes along the wings a real adventure. The Byki played solidly at both ends for the first 10 minutes, as they tried to maintain possession of the ball.

Nick Elmkinssi probed the Gato Verde defense in the 12th minute when he lofted a free kick from 40 yards for Dan Jedrzejowski on the right wing. Jedrzejowski gave chase and struck a low cross toward the near post that was blocked by the keeper.

Disaster struck a minute later, as poor communication in defense gifted Gato Verde a goal. A long Gato Verde pass out of the back landed right in front of the Byki penalty area. Neither the retreating Byki defenders nor keeper Dan Blanco could figure out who would get the ball, so a Gato Verde forward stepped in and lobbed the ball over Blanco for a 1:0 lead.

The Byki kept things organized in defense for the rest of the first half, smothering Gato Verde scoring chances before they could become dangerous. But weak clearances, errant passes, and a rush to move the ball forward at every occasion left the Byki attack stalled in neutral.

Gato Verde kept up the pressure and were benefactors a second time when the referee awarded a goal on a play that was clearly offside. After a poor Byki header left the ball in the Byki penalty area, a Gato Verde player got the ball first and shot right away. The Byki blocked that shot, but the player then sent the ball to the far post, where an unmarked teammate headed past Blanco to make it 2:0.

“How the referee could have missed that call is beyond belief,” said Gorecki. “He originally said that the player who headed the ball into the goal was not involved in the play, which is the most absurd way to explain what happened.” At halftime, the referee acknowledged his error, but the goal wasn’t coming off the scoreboard.

The home side made a nice play in the 55th minute to bag a third goal. With the Byki defense scrambling, Gato Verde made several quick passes in front of the goal. Once they got the Byki off-balance, it was a simple matter to tap the ball home.

The Byki kept up the fight, however, and were rewarded five minutes before the end. Vitaly Tsipris made a great run down the right side to latch onto a terrific pass over the top. He ran directly to the goal and fired a shot that hit the upper corner of the goal. The ball rebounded back into the middle, where Jon Silverstein poked the ball into the back of the net.

BYKI LINEUP
(4-4-2): Blanco – Tower, Geng, Pedlow, Cooper – Dec, Jedrzejowski (c), Moore, Elmkinssi – Silverstein, Najera. Bench: Garcia, Gorecki, Tsipris, Winter.

BYKI SCORING SUMMARY
Silverstein 1; 75th; 3:1.