December 18 (1898)

The two top teams in the St. Louis Football Association, the premier league in the city, collide —literally — at Sportsman’s Park. Separated by a single point in the standings, St. Teresa’s and the Shamrocks meet for the third time in the 1898-99 season with the series tied at one apiece. The teams play in horrendous conditions, thanks to rain in the second half that turns the pitch into “a shiny, slippery field,” according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Shamrocks pull out a 3-1 win, but not before punches are thrown and what the newspaper describes as “a general mix-up” erupts late in the match. The resulting coverage in the next day’s Post-Dispatch focuses on the fight. None of the goal-scorers are mentioned, which often is the case for soccer coverage in late-19th century St. Louis newspapers. “When the players were finally separated the ballground had the appearance of a battlefield,” the Post-Dispatch reports. “Several ladies in the stands fainted while the ‘free-for-all’ was going on.” The Shamrocks, the defending league champions, run their record to 7-1-1, vault over St. Teresa’s into first place, and will go on to win the 1898-99 league championship. St. Teresa’s, three-time league champions from 1894-96, will win no more titles but will remain one of the city’s better teams into the first years of the 20th century.