The Byki Red Team started out looking sharp in their season opener against the Albanian Stars last Sunday, leading to a 1:0 advantage at the break. The Albanians, playing on their home field in Berkeley in front of their raucous fans, stepped up the pressure in the second half and pounded four goals past the Byki defense, notching a 4:2 victory.

After a successful outdoor season in 2007, when both Byki Senior teams showed that they could compete in the 1st Division, the club sought ways to maximize the talent level within the organization. Joe Gambino suggested that it might help to have one coach oversee both teams, rather than have separate coaches for each team. George Gorecki, who is the club’s Director of Coaching, got the ball rolling by putting Gambino in charge. Gambino ran the Byki squad that played in the 1st Division indoors, while Gorecki moved over to coach the Over 30s. For the outdoor season, Gambino enlisted the help of Tony Gallo, Russ Haynes and Dan Jedrzejowski to run the Senior teams. The club also decided to rename the teams Red and Blue to indicate their equivalent nature, because both are playing in the same competition. “Our goal all along is to build two strong teams,” said Gambino.

With only a very brief pre-season period to get the teams ready, Gambino opted to place most of the club’s experienced players in the Red Team, acknowledging that it would likely be easier to create team chemistry with players who are familiar with one another. The Blue Team roster is a combination of Byki veterans and newcomers. From all appearances, both teams look capable, but the maturation process doesn’t happen overnight.

The Byki came roaring out of the gates versus the Albanians. In the third minute, Josh Taylor had a great chance to score, but the Albanian keeper made a sprawling save to deny him. Midway through the first half, Jeff Samp put Russ Haynes into the clear with a pass through the Stars’ defense. All Haynes had to do was lob the onrushing goalie, but the netminder timed his jump just right and blocked Haynes’s attempt.

The Byki defense was solid in all aspects. The Albanians had the better of possession, but were unable to create any real scoring chances. Nico Talpes made his outdoor debut in goal and did a nice job marshaling a group of defenders that were new to him.

The Byki got their reward five minutes before the break. Ivan Torossian received a throw-in on the left flank and crossed the ball into the box. Haynes got to the ball first and worked himself free of the sweeper, slotting home from 12 yards. The goal unnerved the Stars, which is a reaction that is normally music to Gambino’s ears.

During the interval, Gambino told the team not to let up, to keep switching the field and to keep attacking. He also emphasized the need for the defense to push forward to prevent the Albanians from having too much space.

As the second half began, the Byki promptly forgot what Gambino had told them. The Byki came out flat, which was just the tonic to re-invigorate the Stars, and they really brought on the attack. In one sequence, an Albanian forward cracked a tremendous shot from outside the box. It appeared destined for the goal when Talpes made an absolutely amazing save, leaping backwards and reaching high to knock the ball away.

In the 55th minute, the Stars broke into the box, forcing Talpes to come off his line. He brought down the Albanian forward, leading to a penalty kick, which the Stars handily converted. Momentum shifted to the surging Albanians, who took the lead five minutes later. As the Byki tried to play the ball out of defense, they made an errant pass across the middle. A Stars player intercepted and fired past Talpes to make it 2:1. The game might have gotten completely out of hand shortly thereafter, when Doug Towsey tripped an Albanian player in the box, which resulted in another penalty. Talpes, however, put on his Superman cape and made a spectacular save to keep the Byki in the match.

The Byki leveled the score in the 75th minute. Fullback Conor Casey got into the attack and won a header over the short Stars keeper. The ball fell to Nate Bridge, who tapped home from six yards out. The Byki had a great chance to regain the lead, but George Thomas’ short header went straight at the keeper.

A disputed goal with ten minutes to go put the Albanians back in front. With the Byki rooted in front of their goal, the Stars somehow found room to operate in the penalty area. After dribbling past three Byki, the striker’s shot beat Talpes, but the Byki tried desperately to clear the ball before it crossed the line. The referee ruled that the play was a goal, prompting an argument from the Byki. “The referee was 35 yards from the play,” lamented Gambino. “I asked him how he could be sure that the ball crossed the line.”

The Stars remained aggressive, and they put the game away in the dying minutes as the Byki pushed forward to get a second equalizer. The Stars launched a long clearance out of defense to their striker. Two Byki went to defend the striker, who quickly sent the ball to an open teammate. The Albanians moved the ball swiftly and the Byki were unable to recover. Three quick passes, and the ball was in the back of the net for an unassailable 4:2 lead.

It really was a game of two halves for the Byki. They had the chances to put the game away in the first half, and a lack of fitness let them down in the second half.

Russ Haynes and Eric Tower contributed to this story.

BYKI LINEUP
(4-4-2): Talpes, N. – Towsey, Casey, Dziekiewicz, Black – Bouzoukis, Torossian, Samp, Bridge – Haynes, Taylor. Bench: Daniel, Rose, Thomas.

BYKI SCORING SUMMARY
Haynes 1 (Torossian); 40th; 0:1. Bridge 1 (Casey); 75th; 2:2.