#TBT: St. Michaels Again Battle Holy Cross Club to 2-2 Tie (4/17/1939)

By Brian O'Connell
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Updated: April 17, 2014

Photo credit: The Evening Herald

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Throwback Thursday,” where we take a trip back in time to spotlight some of the clubs that made their mark on the New England soccer landscape over the past century.

This week, we venture back to a Times Cup semi-final replay between District League sides St. Michaels and Holy Cross on Apr. 16, 1939 at Bigberry Stadium in Fall River, Mass. The previous game had ended in a 2-2 deadlock, and both sides were looking to break the tie in the replay.

Note: The information provided in the following game report was drawn from the Apr. 17, 1939 edition of The Evening Herald.

April 16, 1939

St. Michaels Again Battle Holy Cross to 2-2 Tie
Crowd of 1,500 Sees Local Rivals at Bigberry; Penalty Missed.

FALL RIVER, Mass. – Not even a pair of extra 15-minute periods could separate St. Michaels and Holy Cross as the sides were forced to settle for a 2-2 stalemate in Sunday’s Times Cup semi-final replay at Bigberry Stadium.

A crowd of 1,500 turned out to see Ed Wojciechowski score both Holy Cross goals, while Jimmy Johnson and Tony (Slicer) Moniz filed replies for St. Michaels.

Employing a revamped lineup, Holy Cross held a 2-1 lead at the interval. But St. Michaels equalized shortly after halftime, and though the scoring ceased thereafter, the fans were treated to a fast-paced match that continued into the overtime periods.

Penalty Kick Wide

Holy Cross may have been content to march into the locker room at halftime with a one-goal lead. Yet they were given a golden opportunity to make it a two-goal gap in the waning minutes of the first frame.

Veteran forward Matt Janiak stepped up to the spot looking to notch his side’s third goal of the afternoon. Aiming for the corner, his shot veered a trifle wide of the post.

Janiak found an opportunity to make amends seconds before the halftime whistle when he unleashed a shot desitined for the upper right corner of the net. But goalkeeper Tony Michaels pushed it aside with a quick jab.

Two for Wojciechowski

The early hero of the match was Ed Wojciechowski who, incidentially, wasn’t even supposed to start Sunday’s match. Filling center forward Jarabek’s spot up top, the replacement center forward wasted no time scribbling his name on the scoresheet.

Inside of three minutes, he hauled in a long cross from Szargowicz from the right wing, and dribbled into the area and deposited it into the far corner to put Holy Cross on top.

But St. Michaels wouldn’t be down for long. Ten minutes later, Johnson made a b-line for the Holy Cross goal and after leaving defenders in his wake, drove a low shot that found the back of the net in the 13th minute.

Wojciechowski tipped the scale back in his squad’s favor in the 30th minute when he collected another Szargowicz cross and beat Michaels. Meanwhile, Michaels’ counterpart, Dick Romanowicz, was forced to stop a couple of stinging drives to keep St. Michaels from securing another equalizer before the break.

Moniz Ties Count

Undaunted by Romanowicz’s first half heroics, St. Michaels came out strong in the second half, and were rewarded for their efforts in the 55th minute.

Moniz blasted a shot that Romanowicz got a hand on, but couldn’t hold on to it before it trickled just inside of the goalmouth.

St. Michaels continued to press the issue as the second half unfolded. A number of crosses from Barbosa and Moniz sent for Mack Almeida could’ve put them on top, but Almeida couldn’t convert.

Overtime saw both sides earn respectable chances to break the deadlock. However, Romanowicz and Michaels were both up for the challenge to save their respective sides from defeat.

The summary:

Holy Cross – Romanowicz g, Piekos rfb, Boruch lfb, Kaminski rhb, Przewoznik chb, Jarabek lhb, Szargowicz or, Zakowski ir, Janiak cf, Wojciechowski il, Pastik ol.

St. Michaels – Michaels g, J. Moniz rfb, Martin lfb, Medeiros rhb, J. Almeida chb, F. Almeida lhb, A. Moniz or, Johnson or, M. Almeida cf, W. Isadore il, R. Isadore ol.

Score – Holy Cross 2, St. Michaels 2. Goals – Wojciechowski 2, Johnson, A. Moniz. Referee – DeNardo. Linesmen – Oliveira, Furtado. 45-minute halves and two 15-minute overtime periods.