6/22/24
Buffaloes beat River Valley Bully's 3:2 in the OK-AR Semifinal game.
In its first-ever playoffs, the Buffaloes faced River Valley Bully's in the semi-final match. These opponents faced each other twice in the regular season. In both matches, the Buffaloes earned the victory (3:0 & 4:0).
The Buffaloes opened the scoresheet for the night in the 10th minute. Brandon O'Rourke tapped the ball in after a corner kick from the right side. The captain, Ivan Ristic, headed the ball towards the goal but got blocked by a defender. O'Rourke was at the right place at the right time.
It only took 3 minutes for the Bully's to respond and equalize the score.
The score was 1:1 at the half.
Bully's entered the second half strongly and got ahead in the 48th minute with a powerful shot outside the box!
Both teams went on to create several chances but the score remained the same until the 93rd minute when a foul on a Buffalo player was made on the left side of the field. Francisco Neto took the responsibility and crossed the ball into the box. Jovan Petrovic found himself on the ball and scored to equalize the game once again.
River Valley Bully's players argued that there was contact in the box before the goal was scored. The main referee wasn't willing to put up with the protests and as a result he awarded 2 red cards to the Bully's players.
The final score was 2:2 which meant the fans were in for another 30 minutes of entertainment!
With 2 player advantage, the Buffaloes took full control of the match. After 20 minutes in the overtime, the Buffaloes scored again. Uros Rosic scored his second goal of the season and thus set the final score at 3:2!
After the game, we were able to catch up with the team captain Ivan Ristic who made some remarks about the game. "It's always hard to beat the same opponent 3 times in a row. We were aware of their quality and the importance of this match. We got the job done. This team showed an impressive willingness to fight. We are thrilled to make the finals in the first year of the club's existence".
FC Bartlesville will travel to Benton, AR to face the Arkansas Wolves in the championship match. If the Buffaloes win, they will punch the ticket to the national tournament.
photo credits: Eric James Haschke