July 8 (1945)

Raftery’s of St. Louis fights valiantly, but loses, 1-0, to defending champion Eintracht of New York in the National Amateur Cup championship game at Randall’s Island, N.Y. Playing before an estimated crowd of 5,000, Raftery’s outplays Entracht for much of the first half. Bob Corbett and Harold Travis nearly score for Raftery’s. Meanwhile, Raftery’s goalkeeper Luke Muellner turns aside hard shots from Eddie Valle and Bobby Baldwin to keep Eintracht scoreless. The game’s only goal comes in the 76th minute off a free kick awarded to Eintracht when Dan Murphy handles the ball 30 yards from Raftery’s goal. Seppl Antretter delivers the free kick and Gerhard Latsch heads it past Muellner for what proves to be the game-winner. The 1945 season marks the first time St. Louis teams had entered the 23-year-old Amateur Cup. St. Louis teams will lose in the 1947 and 1949 finals. The St. Louis Raiders will win the first of 12 Amateur Cups for St. Louis in 1952. The Raiders will evolve into the great Kutis team that will be perhaps the best in the nation in the second half of the 1950s.