The shots on goal were flying from all directions at Olympic Park last Saturday, as the Over 30 Team split the points with FC Tarnovia 3:3. Tarnovia benefited from penalty kicks in each half in a see-saw encounter. The Byki stand at 2-1-3 for the season.

The match was a reunion of sorts for Kuba Banbor, Robert Dec and Maciek Kekus, all of whom had played for Tarnovia before migrating over to the Byki. Kekus reminded his old team what they were missing when his second-half goal gave the Byki the lead.

Both sides played at a spirited pace. The Byki broke through on the half hour when Enda McGrath's hustle made Tarnovia pay for their sloppiness. McGrath intercepted a weak pass by a Tarnovia fullback, and with the goalie helplessly out of position, McGrath scored into an empty net.

Tarnovia pulled level eight minutes later. A Tarnovia player stepped in front of Matt Fleming to steal a pass and sprinted towards the Byki goal. Fleming gave chase and tripped the player in the area, leading to a penalty kick that made it 1:1. Tarnovia spoiled a great chance two minutes before the break, but Dean Fukar made a point-blank save on a shot from seven yards.

Tarnovia went 2:1 up in the 58th minute. They played a quick free kick to the wing. A Tarnovia player sent a low cross into the box. Jan Winter slipped and hit the ball with his arm as he fell, prompting the referee to whistle for another penalty. It was an unfortunate series of events that left the Byki seething.

They replied with their own equalizer two minutes later. Winter laced a corner kick into the danger zone and Brett Frischmann sneaked through the crowd of players to side-foot the ball home. The Byki kept up the pressure and won two corners in succession, as Jeff Samp’s attempt in the box was blocked. Moments later, Ray Najera pounced on a weak clearing attempt and got the ball over to Kekus, who made no mistake from the right side of the box to make it 3:2.

But the Byki failed to hold the lead. In the 72nd minute, a Tarnovia player curled a free kick from the left corner over everyone, smacking the ball off of the inside of the far post.

The Byki searched for a winner, but came up short. Two good saves robbed McGrath and Winter in the final minutes.

BYKI LINEUP
(4-2-3-1): Fukar – Samp, Brough, Lane (c), Dec – Frischmann, McGrath – Winter, Fleming, Banbor – Kekus. Bench: Gambino, Inalsingh, Najera.

BYKI SCORING SUMMARY
1:0 – McGrath 1; 30th.
2:2 – Frischmann 1 (Winter); 60th.
3:2 – Kekus 3 (Najera); 66th.

BYKI MAN OF THE MATCH
Maciej Kekus and Jan Winter