In the group games, our team played against the opponents Happyhotel, the Sieger company and LS Telcom. Already in the first group game against Happyhotel it was obvious that this year’s tournament had very strong line-ups. Despite a strong performance and impressive saves by our goalkeeper Nick Ruppert, we were beaten by the superior opponent 0-2. The coaching staff used the break that followed as an opportunity to optimize the team’s tactical alignment. This opportunity and some cold drinks would be crucial factors for the subsequent two games. In the first game against the Sieger company, Daniel Stolzer was able to score for our team a 1-0 lead after winning the ball at midfield. Even though Claudio Baroni and Tim Bertsch failed to convert subsequent scoring chances, the team achieved their first win with a strong defensive performance. In the next game that followed, the ARKU team impressed with exceptional performance. Initially, Thorben Wolfinger narrowly missed the lead after a beautifully worked move. After Luca Hable hit the crossbar, Daniel Stolzer took advantage of the opponents’ confusion and buried the ball in the back of the net, scoring the first 1-0 goal. Immediately afterwards, Nils Loescher increased the score to 2-0. In this game as well, our team hardly allowed the opponent any offensive chances other than just a few, and even had the opportunity to increase the lead through more scoring chances from Tim Bertsch and Daniel Volz. Although the LS Telcom team bagged a goal, which also was the final goal, the game finished with a 2-1 win. The ARKU team qualified for the semifinals, winning 2 out of 3 games.
After a short breather, the well-known and strong Braun Sondermaschinenbau team was waiting for our team in the semifinals. Despite the opponent’s superiority in the game, our team gave it their all but lost 0-1 after an impressive lob shot. In the subsequent game for the 3rd place against BHG, our team was superior. After an outstanding solo run and shot, Claudio Baroni failed by a margin to bury the ball in the net. On the other side, the ARKU team was caught off guard and fell 0-1 behind. Unfortunately, the team was unable to get back in the game, despite numerous good chances.
Finishing in 4th place, the ARKU-11 again demonstrated its outstanding skills this year. The team would like to take this opportunity to express their gratitude for the support, as well as to the fans who traveled with them and SV Ulm as the tournament’s organizer.