December 7 (1963)

St. Louis University wins its fourth NCAA championship with a 3-0 defeat of Navy at New Brunswick, N.J. The 1963 Billikens are perhaps the most powerful team in the early years of NCAA soccer. Highlighted by the one-two punch of Carl Gentile and future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Pat McBride, the Bills score a school-record 94 goals in 14 games — 48 from Gentile (30 goals, a still-standing single-season school record) and McBride (18 goals, 17 assists). In the final, McBride scores in the fourth minute and assists on goals from Gentile and Terry Knox in the third quarter. The Billikens finish with a 13-1-0 record. Their only loss comes against Michigan State, 4-3, on Nov. 9. Their very next game, the first round of the NCAA playoffs on Nov. 22, is at Michigan State. Playing a few hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Bills win, 2-0, on goals from Gentile and McBride. The shutout is the Bills’ eighth of the season.