The third consecutive win for the Blue Team has propelled them to the top of the Blue Section. Last week’s victim was CKS Warta C, as the Byki grabbed control of the match early and never let go. Jesus Martinez paced the Byki attack with a goal and an assist. At 3-0-1, the Byki are tied with Gremio FC and FK Podrinje, all on nine points. NSL tiebreakers have put the Byki in the pole position. With the Byki taking off for their bye week in the upcoming round, the standings could change.

The Blue Team has been all about teamwork and lots of teamwork was on display versus Warta, who had just one point from their three matches so far. The Byki jumped out to a 2:0 lead, fought through a rough patch to start the second half, and eventually salted the game away.

The Byki wasted no time taking care of business. It took just 44 seconds to break the ice. Martinez stood over the ball on a corner kick and spotted Gabi Dziekiewicz making a late run out of the back. Dziekiewicz made no mistake and buried his shot with ace marksmanship.

Warta nearly got that one back 2:13 later. A nifty give-and-go play left the Byki flat, but Warta were unable to convert an open chance when the shot hit the post.

With 7:11 left in the half, the Byki doubled their lead. Martinez played a diagonal pass through the penalty area. The ball deflected off of a Warta player and past his goalie. The two-goal cushion allowed the Byki to settle into their comfort zone and to play with confidence.

Warta got an early break in the second frame when Byki netminder Marty Lupou came out of his box to clear a bouncing ball. Lupou wound up handling the ball, resulting in an automatic two-minute penalty. Warta’s only decent chance during the power play came when a player dribbled free in the corner and tried to blast the ball past Lupou, but the young keeper played the angle perfectly and blocked the ball with his chest.

Warta gained some momentum from their power play and pulled to within 2:1 with 12:50 left. They played the ball over the top and a striker sizzled a brilliant volley past Lupou.

The Byki replied with a flurry 1:21 later. Martinez passed to Jason Sphar, who shot from distance. The goalkeeper turned that shot away, but the rebound went directly to Ammin Mehreioskouei, whose attempt hit the goalpost.

The final minutes were frenzy at both ends of the field. With 4:08 to go, Warta sent a free kick from midfield into the mixer. The Byki allowed the ball to bounce and the resulting shot ricocheted off of the underside of the crossbar.

Moments later, striker Ben Disney cracked a shot off the bounce from long range that startled the goalie. Only good reflexes prevented Disney’s shot from getting past him. With 2:04 to go, Warta controlled a Byki turnover and came fast on a 2 v 1 situation. Lupou came to rescue with a massive save as the Warta player came in alone.

The Byki put the match to bed with 1:38 to go. The Warta goalie made a very poor pass from inside his box and the intrepid Maksym Kmit stepped in for the interception. His clinical finish made it 3:1 and the Byki had placed Warta in their rearview mirror. Kmit nearly put a big, red bow on the affair with 1:12 left. After taking a pass from Martinez, Kmit sent a looping shot towards the Warta goal and the keeper’s desperate tip put the ball out of play.

BYKI LINEUP
(2-2-1): Marty Lupou – Rose, Dziekiewicz, – Mike Lupou, Martinez – Mehreioskouei. Bench: Disney, Kuqi, Lopez, Kmit, Sphar, Stamatinos.

BYKI SCORING SUMMARY
1:0 – Dziekiewicz 1 (Martinez); 0:44.
2:0 – Martinez 2; 11:49.
3:1 – Kmit 2; 36:22.

BYKI MAN OF THE MATCH
Jesus Martinez