Arabian FC brought their scoring shoes to Montrose & Cumberland last Saturday and found the back of the net five times. The Byki created a bevy of attacking opportunities, but their finishing was substandard, and the Arabians walked away 5:0 winners. The Byki could be pleased with their effort, but the most important thing in soccer is scoring goals.

The Over 30s came into the match with confidence following a strong training session, during which they demonstrated a high level of skill and teamwork when scrimmaging against the Byki Senior players. “The guys who have been coming out to training regularly are getting better all the time,” noted coach George Gorecki. “But we’re in the process of developing the team. With five new starters compared to last year, we will have to deal with our ups and downs. And as time goes on, we can be more secure in the idea that our game will become increasingly positive.”

Arabian FC are among the elite sides in the Over 30 Division and they began to impose their will on the Byki right from the start. The Byki defense held firm, however, absorbing pressure and forcing the Arabian marksmen to shoot wide.

All of the time spent defending took its toll at the other end of the field. The Byki attack lacked coherence, as they chose to go long and bypass the midfield. This approach led to many giveaways and the Byki seemed to be in constant retreat as the Arabians pressed forward.

An Arabian striker went on a dribbling jaunt in the 18th minute, leaving Byki defenders in his wake. With only goalkeeper Vitaly Tsipris to beat, the Arabian player sent his shot over the bar.

The Byki had two good chances to score a couple of minutes later. Maciej Kekus headed the ball down for Jan Winter on the left side. Winter’s attempt at the near post went narrowly wide. Kekus beat the Arabian offside trap moments later, but his shot missed the target.

As Arabian pressure continued to mount, the Byki defense could not hold themselves together any longer. An Arabian player dribbled through a group of defenders inside the Byki area in the 35th minute and slotted past Tsipris for a 1:0 lead.

The Byki shifted gears after the break, opting for a 4-5-1 formation. The team realized that the Arabians were bringing the ball directly through the middle of the Byki defense and the Byki looked powerless to stop them. They hoped that the presence of an extra central midfielder would address this acute problem.

The Byki had two outstanding opportunities to level the score in the first three minutes of the second half. Winter curled in a free kick from the left flank. The goalkeeper initially misjudged the swerving ball and did well to get a hand to the ball to tip it away. With the Arabians on the back foot, Dan Jedrzejowski lobbed a ball into the box, where an Arabian defender headed the ball directly to Winter in front. The keeper made a miraculous save on Winter’s shot from short range. Kekus pounced on the rebound, but the keeper denied him as well.

Predictably, Arabian wriggled out of those jams and struck quickly for two goals in the span of four minutes. They made it 2:0 in the 49th minute when a long ball over the top eluded sweeper Chris Cardenas, leading to an Arabian breakaway. Slack marking by the Byki in the 53rd minute resulted in an open header for an Arabian striker, who buried the ball past Tsipris.

The score swelled to 4:0 in the 63rd minute when Byki defenders failed to close the gap on an onrushing Arabian midfielder. With time and space as a luxury, he picked his spot and drilled a shot past Tsipris.

Cardenas tried to put the Byki on the board in the 67th minute when he fired a free kick on target, only to be denied by the crossbar. Kekus latched onto the rebound, but the keeper put his shot over the bar with a terrific deflection.

Arabian FC put their stamp on the match seven minutes from the end, when a series of simple passes left the Byki defense in tatters. An Arabian player headed the ball back to a teammate who was open directly in front of goal and he placed a shot inside the post that left Tsipris helpless.

BYKI LINEUP
(4-4-2): Tsipris – Cardenas, Pedlow, Tower, Treter – Banbor, Jedrzejowski (c), Winter, Dec – Kekus, Frischmann. Bench: Elmkinssi, Garcia, Gorecki, Moore, Silverstein.

BYKI SCORING SUMMARY
None.