Soccer Bowl
DateJanuary 1, 1950
VenueSportsman's Park[1], St. Louis, Missouri
WeatherFair and 47 °F (8 °C)[2]
1950
1952

The 2nd Soccer Bowl the second edition of the Soccer Bowl, and a post-season college soccer championship game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Purdue Boilermakers on January 1, 1951, at the Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri. The match ended in a 3–1 victory with Penn State claiming their second Soccer Bowl, and their 11th claimed national men's soccer championship. The game was used to determine the champion of the 1950 ISFA season, which predated the NCAA as the premier organizing body of collegiate soccer, and represented the concluding game of the season for both teams.

The match originally was going to feature Penn State playing the South Florida Bulls club soccer team in the final, but the Bulls were unable to make the trip to St. Louis, causing Purdue to serve as an alternate.[3]

The match

The match was kicked off at 2:45 p.m. Central Time as part of a triple-header of soccer matches held at Sportsman's Park. The opening matches featured local high school soccer programs in the St. Louis metro area. At noon St. Joseph's Home took on St. Edwards for the C.Y.C. Parochial title. At 1:15 p.m., Kendrick Prep Seminary School took on DeAndreis for the championship game of the Christmas Week High School Tournament.

The weather for the match was fair with temperatures around 47 °F (8 °C) at the time of kick off, dropping to 44 °F (7 °C) by the conclusion of the match. The humdity was around 82% and winds came from the South at 16 miles per hour.[2]

Legacy

The Soccer Bowl championship gave Penn State their second ever Soccer Bowl, and their 11th claimed National championship. Despite the title, the ISFA claimed West Chester the national champions concluding the season given their undefeated 8–0–0 record, which drew ire from Penn State and South Florida's programs. Despite this recognition by the ISFA, it is not recognized as a national title by the NCAA, although both South Florida, Penn State, and West Chester declare themselves national champions, which is a claim recognized by the American Soccer History Archives.

References

  1. ^ "hoto of Second Annual Soccer Bowl played at Sportman's Park, 3600 Sullivan Ave., St. Louis, New Years Day, Monday, January 1, 1951. Penn State College vs. Purdue University. Typed story about fame with lineups and names of Soccer Bowl Queen and Maids of Honor". isg.siue.edu. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Digital Archives. Archived from the original (XML) on October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "St. Louis, MO Weather History - Jan. 1, 1950". Weather Underground. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  3. ^ Graham, Bill (December 27, 1950). "College Soccer Bowl Contest Scheduled Again". Brooklyn Eagle. New York City. United Press. p. 18. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.