The 2011–12 Louisville Lightning season was the third season of the Louisville Lightning professional indoor soccer club. The Lightning, an Eastern Division team in the Professional Arena Soccer League, played their home games in the Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club in Louisville, Kentucky. The team was led by general manager Nick Stover and head coach Scott Budnick with associate coach Ted Nichols.
On October 28, 2011, the Lightning played a pre-season split-squad exhibition match dubbed the "Kick Cancer Game". The team won 11 games and lost 5 during the 2011–12 regular season. They played all 16 of these games against Eastern Division rivals Cincinnati Kings, Detroit Waza, Illinois Piasa, Kansas Magic, and Ohio Vortex. The team qualified for the postseason but lost to the Kansas Magic in the first round of the playoffs.
The Louisville Lightning also participated in the 2011–12 United States Open Cup for Arena Soccer. The team defeated Indy Elite FC in the wild card round but lost to the Cincinnati Kings in the Round of 16, ending their run in the tournament.
After this season, the team announced it would skip the 2012–13 PASL season and go dormant. In a March 2013 interview, team owner Ted Nichols said that low attendance at games placed "somewhat of a financial drain" on the organization and that the team remains "in a bit of a hiatus".
Off-field moves In October 2011, the Lightning announced a partnership with the PUMA sportswear company. The team wore PUMA soccer jerseys, warm-up gear, and training gear for the 2011–12 season. In the team's first two years of existence, they had worn Adidas gear and jerseys.
Pre-game activities at the team's home opener included an awareness event for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, distribution of can koozies (holders) to fans, and a "first kick" ceremony with country singer Darren Warren.
Schedule
Regular season Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Final Score Record 1 Sunday November 6 2:35pm at Detroit Waza L 3–9 0–1 Taylor Sportsplex 450 2 Saturday November 12 7:35pm at Cincinnati Kings W 11–9 1–1 Cincinnati Gardens 1,103 3 Friday November 18 7:30pm Cincinnati Kings W 13–4 2–1 Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club 755 4 Friday December 2 8:35pm at Illinois Piasa L 9–13 2–2 The Sports Academy 307 5 Saturday December 3 8:35pm at Kansas Magic W 8–6 3–2 EPIC Indoor Sports 548 6 Friday December 16 7:30pm Cincinnati Kings W 8–7 4–2 Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club 1,087 7 Friday December 30 8:05pm at Cincinnati Kings† L 3–9 4–3 Cincinnati Gardens 1,413 8 Saturday January 7 7:30pm Illinois Piasa W 15–5 5–3 Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club 1,106 9 Friday January 13 7:30pm Ohio Vortex W 15–4 6–3 Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club 976 10 Sunday January 15 2:35pm at Detroit Waza L 7–10 6–4 Taylor Sportsplex 413 11 Friday January 20 7:30pm Illinois Piasa W 7–4 7–4 Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club 792 12 Saturday January 21 7:00pm at Ohio Vortex W 9–7 8–4 Canton Memorial Civic Center 347 13 Sunday January 29 5:35pm at Kansas Magic W 7–6 9–4 EPIC Indoor Sports 252 14 Friday February 3 7:30pm Kansas Magic W 10–6 10–4 Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club 882 15 Friday February 10 7:30pm Ohio Vortex W 8–5 11–4 Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club 1,109 16 Friday February 24 7:30pm Detroit Waza L 8–9 11–5 Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club 1,468 † Game also counts for US Open Cup, as listed in chart below.
Postseason Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Final Score Record 1 Friday March 2 7:35pm Kansas Magic L 5–9 0–1 Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club 757
2011–12 United States Open Cup for Arena Soccer Game Day Date Opponent Results Location Final Score Record Wild-Card Friday December 9 Indy Elite FC W 15–5 1–0 Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club Round of 16 Friday December 30 Cincinnati Kings L 3–9 1–1 Cincinnati Gardens
Player roster
References
External links Louisville Lightning official website