2013–14 Illinois Piasa season
Illinois Piasa 2013–14 PASL football season
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The 2013–14 Illinois Piasa season was the eighth season of the Illinois Piasa professional indoor soccer club and fourth 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 at The Field Sports Complex in Pontoon Beach, Illinois.[2]
Ed Rulo (games 11–15)
4141 Highway 111
Pontoon Beach, Illinois 62040
| 2013–14 PASL season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jim Williams |
| Head Coach | Doug Montroy (games 1–10) Ed Rulo (games 11–15) |
| Arena | The Field Sports Complex 4141 Highway 111 Pontoon Beach, Illinois 62040 |
| US Open Cup | Round of 32 |
| Highest home attendance | 496 (November 1 vs. Tulsa Revolution) |
| Lowest home attendance | 109 (January 11 vs. Chicago Mustangs) |
| Average home league attendance | 299 (8 games)[1] |
The team was led by general manager Matt Williams and interim head coach Ed Rulo. The Pizazz Dance Team was led by Danielle Lusicic-Wise. Former player Doug Montroy led the team as head coach for the first 10 games of the season before being dismissed "with the best interests of both parties in mind".[3] Ed Rulo served out the season as interim coach,
Season summary
The Piasa season started strong under rookie head coach Doug Montroy with a home win over the expansion Tulsa Revolution but the team lost its next 9 games.[4] Many of the losses were by 1 or 2 goals but the January 4 loss to the Cleveland Freeze by a score of 27–6 set several league records and Cleveland fell one short of the PASL record of 28 goals by one team in a game. Roster instability, lack of practice time, and reduced payroll were among the reasons cited by the coach for the team's struggles on and off the field.[5] Montroy was replaced as head coach by his assistant, Ed Rulo, beginning with the January 11 game against the Chicago Mustangs.[3] The team averaged just 299 fans per home game, the 18th-best draw in the 20-team league.[1]
The Illinois Piasa participated in the 2013–14 United States Open Cup for Arena Soccer, losing their Round of 32 game against the independent Chicago-based A.A.C. Eagles on Saturday, December 14, 2013, by a score of 7–4.
Schedule
Win Loss
Regular season
| Game | Day | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Location[6] | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | |||||||
| 1 | Friday | November 1 | 7:35pm | Tulsa Revolution | W 7–4[7][8] | 1–0 | The Field Sports Complex[9] | 496[4] |
| 2 | Saturday | November 9 | 7:05pm | at Wichita B-52s | L 8–9[10][11][12] | 1–1 | Hartman Arena[13][14] | 1,943[15] |
| 3 | Saturday | November 16 | 7:05pm | at Chicago Mustangs | L 2–15 | 1–2 | Grand Sports Arena | 805[16] |
| 4 | Saturday | November 23 | 7:35pm | at Cincinnati Saints | L 4–6 | 1–3 | Tri-County Soccerplex | 415[17] |
| 5 | Saturday | November 30 | 7:35pm | Wichita B-52s | L 7–8[18] | 1–4 | The Field Sports Complex[19] | 538[20] |
| 6 | Saturday | December 7 | 7:35pm | Detroit Waza | L 5–9[21] | 1–5 | The Field Sports Complex | 368[22] |
| 7 | Friday | December 20 | 7:35pm | Cleveland Freeze | L 5–7 | 1–6 | The Field Sports Complex | 142[23] |
| 8 | Saturday | December 21 | 7:35pm | at Cincinnati Saints | L 2–11 | 1–7 | Tri-County Soccerplex | 175[24] |
| 9 | Saturday | December 28 | 7:05pm | at Chicago Mustangs | L 0–8 | 1–8 | Grand Sports Arena | 598[25] |
| 10 | Saturday | January 4 | 7:05pm | at Cleveland Freeze | L 6–27[5] | 1–9 | Soccer Sportsplex | 343[26] |
| 11 | Saturday | January 11 | 7:35pm | Chicago Mustangs | L 1–13[27] | 1–10 | The Field Sports Complex | 109[28] |
| 12 | Saturday | January 18 | 7:05pm | at Wichita B-52s | L 5–11[29] | 1–11 | Hartman Arena | 1,826[30] |
| 13 | Saturday | February 1 | 7:35pm | Cincinnati Saints | L 3–8 | 1–12 | The Field Sports Complex | 182[31] |
| 14 | Saturday | February 8 | 7:35pm | Harrisburg Heat | W 4–3[32] | 2–12 | The Field Sports Complex[33] | 206[34] |
| 15 | Saturday | February 15 | 7:35pm | Wichita B-52s | L 3–6[35] | 2–13 | The Field Sports Complex | 353[36] |
| 16 | Saturday | February 22♥ | 7:00pm | at Detroit Waza | CANCELLED[37] | 2–13 | Melvindale Civic Center | N/A |
♥ Postponed from January 5 due to extreme winter weather then postponed again from January 26 due to a scheduling conflict
U.S. Open Cup for Arena Soccer
| Game | Day | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Location[6] | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | |||||||
| Round of 32 | Saturday | December 15 | 7:35pm | A.A.C. Eagles | L 4–7 | 0–1 | The Field Sports Complex | 107[38] |