San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-19
SOCCER MA ITCH
THRILLS BIC
ga. CROWD
Uninitiated Fans Here Get
"Kick" Out of Sun
day Contest.

Hundreds of San Antonians who
never before saw a soccer football
match were formally introduced to
the grand old bare-kneed game, and
scores of others renewed its acquaint-
ance, when T. J. Warhurst's newly
formed San Antonio Internationals
and the husky lads of st. Johns
Seminary galloped over the turf of the
Breckenridge Park polo field for 30
lively minutes Sunday afternoon.
Curiosity lured most Of the crowd
of fully 1000 people to the match and
interest and enthusiasm kept them
there to the finish to see the green
Jerseyed st. Johns eleven come from
behind. take lead and keep it
through the last exciting minutes to
win by a score Of four goals to three.
For those who had never seen soc
Ger played, the game provided thrills
and entertainment, with its ceaseless
action based on simple rules, its brisk
struggles for possession of the ball
and its demand Of skill on the part
of the players who may kick the oval,
butt it with their heads, bounce it
off their chests, elbow it; in fact,
worry" it along in almost any fash
ion, but must not handle it with their
hands, except in the case Of the goal
keeper who stops a boot through the
posts and throws the leather sphere
out into the fray again.
NO GAME FOR CORNS.
Featured by long and short kicking
that carries with it plenty of the
thrills of American football, soccer,
the novice fans learned Sunday, is no
game for persons afflicted with corns,
nor is the game, played in trunks and
athletic half-socks, one for sensitive
people with honey knees. But il
America takes to soccer and plays it
as fast and as furiously as Sundays
rivals did under a sizzling sun, there
should be no lack of Marathon run
ners for Uncle Sans next Olympic
team.
The st. Johns team seemed due
for a trimming in the first half hour
of play when the Intcrnationals-so-
called because their players learned
the game in half dozen different
nations-scored twice and kept the
ball almost constantly in the seminary
end Of the field.
Goal-keeper Staff Of the winners
had plenty to do, and he did it with
vim, precision, eclat and much chatty
except in one instance
when he was lured out Of position
and Fred Smith toed the ball violently
between the uprights during his brief
absence. Staff, in those early min
utes, was a st. Johns hero, warding
off many score.
SCORE is TIED.
st. Johns got its bearings after
time, began to neutralize the Interna-
tionals' better passing, dribbling and
teamwork with good, healthy, long
distance kicking, and then produced a
score. A few moments later another
was through the posts and the count
was tie at two goals all.
The half ended with the score knot
ted.
Early in the second half wing man
named Ordner got loose for st.
Johns and hoofed the ball Justify
three Or four times, pursuing it like
a jack rabbit between hoofs, and ON
the final hoof, sent it through the
lnavailing grasp Of Peppie Antunano
like a cannon shot for a goal.
Daugherty, winners inside left,
who scored one of the fint-quarter
points, tackled on his second shortly
after Ordner had scored and the
count became AZ. Injuries, slight
but enough to slow up the players
ana interfere with teamwork, reduced
the internationally effectiveness in the
second half, but the losers battlcd
gamcly and put on three determined
rallies, in one Of which fine work
by Goal Staff saved the day for st.
Johns, in the second Of which Joe
dc Ia Pena scored, and in the third
IF which the st. Johns team gather
ed in a desperate pack and, with
a great kicking Of shins, in which
Valenta's were prominent, busted the
ball from the danger zone and car
ried 1t back up the field.
There was excellent individual play
ln both sides, but the season being
young and the day warm. experts re-
marked that the team play was not
yet what it might be.
Captain Walter Folks Of the Inter,
1ationalists congratulated the st.
Johns team Monday. lie said the
osers had no alibis to offer, that they
we're outplayed in the second half and
hat the winners were simply in bet
Ter condition.
Two International players are in
ped with injuries. Fred Smith and
Pancbo Villarcal, both injured in I'M
collisions.
Next Sunday, st. Johns will play
IN the seminary grounds. Conception
Road, against the Mexico Football
Club Of San Antonio, and the follow
ng Sunday will play the same team
lt Breckenridge Park.
The Internationals plan TO bring
! team out Of the city for perhaps
heir next game.
The lineups Sunday were as fol-
ows:
st. Johns Internationals
Staff NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Antunano
Goal
Dragon ................. BAKER
Right Fullback.
Valenta ................. hlllareal
Left Fullback.
leopold ............ r. Wheeler
Right Halfback.