Forced to yield the first two points in the league race, Bethlehem with a slightly rearranged team, journeyed to New York on Sunday and returned to the winning column by defeating the I. R. T. Rangers by the score of 3 goals to 1. In playing this game, Johnny Jaap, inside right, was shifted to the wing post on the left side of the line, pinch hitting for Johnny Rollo who is nursing an injured side. Mulhall, loaned to Newark early in the season was recalled and played Jaap's position at inside right.

When the Giants emerged triumphant after ninety minutes of grueling hostilities, Bethlehem experienced its first defeat in an even dozen starts in the new Eastern Soccer League. Not that the Giants were superior to the locals, for Bethlehem had slightly the most of the play, but the New Yorkers had a goalie in Jack Brown who game one of the most phenomenal displays between the uprights ever witnessed on the local lot.

This chap Brown, a former custodian with the New York Nationals and a goalie who after a one game trial with Bethlehem was handed the pink slip, was at his best . He used hands, head and feet in turning back the barrage of well-aimed shots and headers unleashed by Bethlehem forwards. On his feat or prone on the ground, Brown took everything that came his way to frustrate the scoring efforts of the forward line.

Bethlehem missed Rollo, who was absent on the left wing because of injury. Robertson played the wing forward and although at times his individual efforts were successful, a lack of understanding was apparent, particularly insofar as Massie was concerned for the blond forward did not play his usual good game. Allan, who came back into the lineup still nursing an injury, was not the effective Allan fans are accustomed to seeing.

From the opening minute it became apparent that Bethlehem was in for a rather strenuous afternoon when the ball frequently traveled from one end of the field to the other and both goals were challenged.

However, it was not until ten minutes after the start that the Giants broke into the scoring column. Sweeping down the field with a speedy and clever passing movement, the visitors carried the ball close to the net from where O'Brien sent in a sizzling grounder for the first count.

Bethlehem had a penalty kick this half but that was all and the half ended with the Giants leading 1 to 0. Gillespie was elected to take the kick and drove high into the far corner of the net. Brown guessed with the Bethlehem forward and a flying leap almost at the same time Gillespie's boot met the ball, enabled the Giant goalie to save. During the first forty-five minutes of play Bethlehem had five corners against three for the visitors.

There was no let-up after the restart and the game was a battle every second of the final forty-five minutes. Less frequent in this half did the Giants break away but on one of these attacks ten minutes after the restart the effort was rewarded. Allan in trying to relieve pressure by kicking out gave away a corner and that corner proved disastrous. Hogg took the kick and centered perfectly. Stevens met the ball with his head, sending a tantalizing looper toward the net. McClure reached high for the ball and had it in his hands when it trickled through his fingers and rolled backwards into the net. The lineup:

Bethlehem -- N. Y. Giants
McClure -- G -- J. Brown
Wilson -- RFB -- Glover
Allan -- LFB -- Moorehouse
W. Reid -- RHB -- McKinney
Carnihan -- CHB -- Herd
McGregor -- LHB -- Cameron
Gillespie -- OR -- Hogg
Jaap -- IR -- O'Brien
Stark -- CF -- Stevens
Massie -- IL -- McMullen
Robertson -- OL -- Warrington
Goals: O'Brien, Stevens. Referee: Donaghy, of New York. Linesmen: J. H. Carpenter and Horace Williams. Time of halves, 45 minutes.

Showing no ill effects of the grueling game played the day previous, Bethlehem was back in winning form in Dyckman Oval, New York, Sunday, where the league leaders defeated the I. R. T. Rangers by the score of 3 goals to 1. Bethlehem led at half time by the score of 1 to 0 and then clinched victory by adding two more goals in the early part of the second half. The Rangers finally got through in the closing minutes to avert a shutout.

A hard drive from the left wing on the part of Jaap, which nestled neatly within the Rangers cage, opened the scoring ten minutes from the start. Midway in the period, Pearce, of the Rangers, missed a penalty allowed against Wilson, of Bethlehem, for handling the ball.

After twenty minutes of play in the second half Jaap placed a beauty within reach of the Rangers' goal mouth and Stark, meeting the ball squarely, headed it in for the second tally. In a fierce rally by Bethlehem, Gillespie hit the cross bar. Stark, taking Jaap's pass, made it 3 to 0 in favor of Bethlehem. With ten minutes to go, Pearce drove hard at Bethlehem's net, but the ball rebounded. McEachran got possession and passed to Pearce whose second attempt was more successful. The lineup:

I. R. T. Rangers -- Bethlehem
Galbraith -- G -- McClure
Wilson -- RFB -- Wilson
Rankin -- LFB -- Allan
Young -- RHB -- Reid
Ferris -- CHB -- Carnihan
Mitchell -- LHB -- McGregor
Webster -- OR -- Gillespie
Blackwood -- IR -- Mulhall
McGivney -- CF -- Stark
Pearce -- IL -- Massie
McEachran -- OL -- Jaap
Substitutes: O'Brien for McGivney, Ferguson for Allen. Goals: Jaap, Stark 2, Pearce. Referee: M. Bloom. Linesmen: E. Donaghy and T. Degan. Time of halves, 45 minutes.