bartlesville buffaloes stampede into postseason play sunday at custer stadium
The semi pro Bartlesville Buffaloes are undefeated with nine wins and one draw. Their first postseason game will be at 6 p.m. at Custer Stadium on the campus of Bartlesville High School. The Buffaloes are ranked No. 1 in the United Premier Soccer League South Regional, which consists of more than 300 teams.
Courtesy photo
By Mike Tupa
June 18, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
It’s been a buffalo stampede renaissance this year in Bartlesville.
The Football Club (FC) Bartlesville Buffaloes have trampled nearly all their foes in men’s semi pro soccer action this spring.
They are undefeated — with nine wins and one draw — and are ready to charge this weekend into the United Premier Soccer League playoffs.
Their first postseason test will be at 6 p.m. Sunday at Custer Stadium, against the Arkansas Comets. The Buffaloes knocked off the Comets, 8-0 and 2-1, during two regular season meetings.
In addition to winning the championship of the OK-AR Division in the UPSL, the Buffaloes also are ranked No. 1 — out of more than 300 teams — in the UPSL South Regional. This puts them in position to host the conference tournament and possibly host the national tournament, according to Buffaloes associate head coach Ivan Ristic.
“This season has been going well,” Ristic said. “It’s been a good year.”
Several area soccer players — some with Bartlesville High roots and some from Oklahoma Wesleyan’s University’s nationally-renown soccer program — populate FC Bartlesville’s roster.
“It’s a very experienced team with a lot of quality players,” Ristic said.
Some of the names on the website’s roster that Bartlesville High soccer fans might readily recognize include defender Connor Bastings, midfielder Brandon O’Rourke and striker Austin Bastings,
All-time leading OKWU goal scorer Stefan Cvetanovic also is on the roster as well as numerous other Eagle standouts.
Two of them are Luka Milicevic who also is the Buffaloes’ head coach and Ristic. Milicevic was an Eagle player on the 2020 team that played for the NAIA national championship. Milicevic has garnered college coaching experience at OKWU and Rogers State. He also coached in the Bartlesville High boys’ program.
Ristic is the current OKWU women’s soccer head coach. His coaching record with the Lady Eagles is an eye-popping 111-14-9.
Four OKWU alumni established the Buffaloes and stocked the roster with top notch talent
FC Bartlesville rang up five shutouts during the regular season. Listed as goalkeepers on the roster are Iker Gonzalez, Deniz Ilkan and Casey Copenhaver.
Following are some highlights listed on the website (FC Bartlesville) from throughout the season.
In a 2-1 victory against Ozark United Perica Obradovic delivered the opening goal and Cvetanovic polished off a penalty kick.
FC Bartlesville won its home opener at Custer, 5-0, against the Arkansas Wolves. Ristic tallied the winning goal off a header from Simeon Adair.
Uros Rosic, Cvetanovic, Cristobal Goldberg and Adair each added a goal.
The Buffaloes suffered their only regular season blemish in a 1-1 tie against the Little Rock Rangers in Arkansas. Gabriel Okita tallied FC Bartlesville’s goal, off an assist from Cvetanovic.
Coming back home to Custer, the Buffaloes mauled Side FC, 5-1. The Tulsa squad struck first.
Adair struck the tying goal, thanks to precision passing from Rosic and Julian Tovar, making his FC Bartlesville debut.
The match stood tied at halftime, 1-1.
Rosic rang up the winning goal, set up by the ball playing of Nikita Pakhomov and Luke Djurovic.
Adair, Ristic and Rosic rounded out the goal scoring. Jacob Landles provided one assist.
After edging the Arkansas Wolves, 2-1, the Buffaloes smashed past the Arkansas Comets, 8-0. Goldberg delivered a pass to O’Rourke, who tallied the third goal in his first season appearance.
Rosic put the next two goals to bed, one of them set up by Tovar. Rosic would finish with a hat-trick-plus (four goals).
Carson Copenhaver added another score.
The Buffaloes then played the Tulsa Athletic in back-to-back weeks, racking up 5-0 and 10-0 victories.
In the bigger win, O’Rourke strung together a four-goal night — to go with three assists — and Aidan De Gannes ripped two goals.
Djurovic scored the winning goal.
In its next-to-last regular season win FC Bartlesville squeezed past the Arkansas Comets, 2-1.
The Buffaloes wrapped up the regular season by blanking the Little Rock Rangers, 4-0, at Custer.
De Ganness produced the game-winning goal, his fourth goal of the season.
Djurovic made it a 2-0 game by the break.
Luis Mencos and Ian Belong recorded the Buffaloes’ final two goals. This was Belong’s Buffaloes’ debut.
The Buffaloes ride a seven-game winning streak into this weekend’s home playoff match.
In addition to putting a winning product on the field, those who established the team have set some ideals for the team.
Their mission statement is:
“To inspire and unite people in our community through the love for soccer, while promoting the importance of friendship, integrity and faith.”
Their vision statement is:
“To create a better opportunity landscape for coming generations by enhancing the soccer culture in our community.”