The 2012–13 Illinois Piasa season was the seventh season of the Illinois Piasa indoor soccer club and third as a franchise in the Professional Arena Soccer League. The Piasa, named for the Piasa Bird of Native American legend, are an Eastern Division team who played their home games in The Sports Academy in Glen Carbon, Illinois. The team was led by owner Jim Williams and head coach Jason Norsic.
Season summary The team struggled in the regular season, compiling a 4–12 record. They placed fourth in the five-team Eastern Division and failed to advance to the postseason. The team fared better at home than on the road with all four of their wins coming on home turf. Two of the Piasa's four wins came against the Ohio Vortex but Illinois also provided Ohio with its only win of the season.
The Piasa participated in the 2012–13 United States Open Cup for Arena Soccer. They received a bye in the wild-card round then lost to the Chicago Mustangs in the Round of 16, ending their tournament run.
Off-field moves For the 2012–13 season, the team named former goalkeeper Jason Norsic as head coach. He replaced both Joe Reiniger and Justin McMillian who had previously shared coaching duties. Norsic played college soccer at Southwestern Illinois College and McKendree University before playing professionally for the St. Louis Steamers, Swanner United FC, St. Louis Illusion, Piasa FC, and Illinois Piasa.
The team's official sportswear for the 2012–13 season was supplied by Admiral Sportswear, the world's oldest soccer brand.
The Piasa's dance team for the 2012-13 season, the Piasa Pizazz Pro Dance Team, was led by Danielle Lusicic-Wise.
At the November 9, 2012, home game, the team organized a canned food drive for a food bank in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Fans received a discount on tickets when they presented a canned food donation at the box office.
Awards and honors On December 11, 2012, the Professional Arena Soccer League named rookie goalkeeper Alan Hagerty as the Player of the Week. The league cited his 32 saves and second-half shutout of rival Rockford Rampage on December 3, leading the Piasa to their first win of the season.
Schedule
Regular season Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Final Score Record 1 Saturday November 3 7:35pm Detroit Waza L 5–11 0–1 The Sports Academy 515 2 Friday November 9 7:35pm Rockford Rampage L 7–10 0–2 The Sports Academy 178 3 Saturday November 10 7:35pm at Chicago Mustangs L 8–16 0–3 Grand Sports Arena 459 4 Saturday November 17 7:35pm(6:35pm Central) at Ohio Vortex L 0–7 0–4 Gameday Sports Center 205 5 Sunday November 18 2:30pm(1:30pm Central) at Detroit Waza L 4–12 0–5 Taylor Sportsplex 353 6 Sunday December 9 3:35pm Rockford Rampage W 5–2 1–5 The Sports Academy 188 7 Friday December 14 8:00pm(7:00pm Central) at Cincinnati Kings L 4–5 1–6 GameTime Training Center 206 8 Saturday December 15 5:30pm at Chicago Mustangs† L 8–15 1–7 Grand Sports Arena 299 9 Saturday January 5 4:30pm Chicago Mustangs L 6–7 1–8 The Sports Academy 360 10 Friday January 11 7:35pm Cincinnati Kings W 7–4 2–8 The Sports Academy 362 11 Saturday January 12 7:05pm at Rockford Rampage L 1–8 2–9 Victory Sports Complex 200 12 Saturday January 19 7:35pm Ohio Vortex W 10–4 3–9 The Sports Academy 319 13 Saturday January 26 7:05pm(6:05pm Central)) at Harrisburg Heat L 5–10 3–10 Farm Show Arena 2,517 14 Saturday February 2 7:35pm Cincinnati Kings L 3–5 3–11 The Sports Academy 315 15 Saturday February 9 7:35pm Ohio Vortex W 14–5 4–11 The Sports Academy 397 16 Saturday February 16 8:00pm(7:00pm Central) at Cincinnati Kings L 2–11 4–12 GameTime Training Center 284 † Game also counts for US Open Cup, as listed in chart below.
2012–13 US Open Cup for Arena Soccer Game Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Final Score Record Wild Card BYE Round of 16 December 15 4:30pm at Chicago Mustangs L 8–15 0–1 Grand Sports Arena 299
References
External links Illinois Piasa official website The Sports Academy official website