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.[2] The team was led by owner Jim Williams and head coach Jason Norsic.
 2012–13 PASL season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jim Williams |
| Head Coach | Jason Norsic |
| Arena | The Sports Academy Glen Carbon, Illinois |
| PASL | 4th, Eastern |
| US Open Cup | Round of 16 |
| Highest home attendance | 515 (November 3, 2012)) vs Detroit Waza |
| Lowest home attendance | 178 (November 9, 2012) vs Rockford Rampage |
| Average home league attendance | 329 (over 8 home games)[1] |
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.[3]
The team's official sportswear for the 2012–13 season was supplied by Admiral Sportswear, the world's oldest soccer brand.[4]
The Piasa's dance team for the 2012-13 season, the Piasa Pizazz Pro Dance Team, was led by Danielle Lusicic-Wise.[5]
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.[6]
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.[7]
Schedule
Win Tie Loss
Regular season
| Game | Day | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Location[8] | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Score | Record | |||||||
| 1 | Saturday | November 3 | 7:35pm | Detroit Waza | L 5–11[9] | 0–1 | The Sports Academy[10] | 515[11] |
| 2 | Friday | November 9 | 7:35pm | Rockford Rampage | L 7–10 | 0–2 | The Sports Academy | 178[12] |
| 3 | Saturday | November 10 | 7:35pm | at Chicago Mustangs | L 8–16 | 0–3 | Grand Sports Arena | 459[13] |
| 4 | Saturday | November 17 | 7:35pm (6:35pm Central) | at Ohio Vortex | L 0–7[14] | 0–4 | Gameday Sports Center | 205[15] |
| 5 | Sunday | November 18 | 2:30pm (1:30pm Central) | at Detroit Waza | L 4–12[14] | 0–5 | Taylor Sportsplex[16] | 353[17] |
| 6 | Sunday | December 9 | 3:35pm | Rockford Rampage | W 5–2 | 1–5 | The Sports Academy | 188[18] |
| 7 | Friday | December 14 | 8:00pm (7:00pm Central) | at Cincinnati Kings | L 4–5 | 1–6 | GameTime Training Center | 206[19] |
| 8 | Saturday | December 15 | 5:30pm | at Chicago Mustangs† | L 8–15[20] | 1–7 | Grand Sports Arena | 299[21] |
| 9 | Saturday | January 5 | 4:30pm | Chicago Mustangs | L 6–7[22] | 1–8 | The Sports Academy | 360[23] |
| 10 | Friday | January 11 | 7:35pm | Cincinnati Kings | W 7–4[24] | 2–8 | The Sports Academy | 362[25] |
| 11 | Saturday | January 12 | 7:05pm | at Rockford Rampage | L 1–8[26] | 2–9 | Victory Sports Complex | 200[27] |
| 12 | Saturday | January 19 | 7:35pm | Ohio Vortex | W 10–4 | 3–9 | The Sports Academy | 319[28] |
| 13 | Saturday | January 26 | 7:05pm (6:05pm Central)) | at Harrisburg Heat | L 5–10[29] | 3–10 | Farm Show Arena[30] | 2,517[31] |
| 14 | Saturday | February 2 | 7:35pm | Cincinnati Kings | L 3–5 | 3–11 | The Sports Academy | 315[32] |
| 15 | Saturday | February 9 | 7:35pm | Ohio Vortex | W 14–5 | 4–11 | The Sports Academy | 397[33] |
| 16 | Saturday | February 16 | 8:00pm (7:00pm Central) | at Cincinnati Kings | L 2–11 | 4–12 | GameTime Training Center | 284[34] |
† Game also counts for US Open Cup, as listed in chart below.
| 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[20] | 0–1 | Grand Sports Arena | 299[21] |