2013–14 Illinois Piasa season

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]

Illinois Piasa
2013–14 PASL season
OwnerJim Williams
Head CoachDoug Montroy (games 1–10)
Ed Rulo (games 11–15)
ArenaThe Field Sports Complex
4141 Highway 111
Pontoon Beach, Illinois 62040
US Open CupRound of 32
Highest home attendance496 (November 1 vs. Tulsa Revolution)
Lowest home attendance109 (January 11 vs. Chicago Mustangs)
Average home league attendance299 (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]

References
  1. "2013-14 League Attendance". Professional Arena Soccer League. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  2. "5K runs in Madison County and Piasa schedule released". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. October 2, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  3. "Illinois Piasa parts ways with head coach Doug Montroy". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. January 12, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  4. "Box Score: Field Sports Complex - Fri, Nov 01, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. November 1, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  5. Marshall, Raymond (January 8, 2014). "Around the PASL: Record* Night In Cleveland, and Playoff Picture Develops". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, TX: A. H. Belo. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  6. "Illinois Piasa Schedule". Professional Arena Soccer League. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  7. "Illinois Piasa Cruise to Victory Over the Tulsa Revolution in their Home Opener". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. November 2, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  8. "Soccer: Revolution falls in debut". Tulsa World. Tulsa, OK: World Publishing Company. November 2, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  9. "Illinois Piasa Cruise to Victory over the Tulsa Revolution". Our Sports Central. November 2, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  10. Brown, Billy (November 9, 2013). "Wichita B-52s rally for win in home-opener". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  11. "Wichita B52's vs. Illinois extended highlights". Wichita, KS: KWCH-TV. November 9, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  12. "Illinois Piasa Fall 9-8 in Wichita to the B-52s". Our Sports Central. November 11, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  13. Lutz, Jeffrey (November 8, 2013). "B-52s try to improve after lopsided opening defeat". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  14. "Wichita B-52s Home Opener vs Illinois Report". Our Sports Central. November 12, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  15. "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sat, Nov 09, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  16. "Box Score: Grand Sports Arena - Sat, Nov 16, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  17. "Box Score: Tri-County Soccerplex - Sat, Nov 23, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. November 30, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  18. "B-52s edge Piasa for road win". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. November 30, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  19. "Wichita B-52s Double-Header Weekend in Illinois". Our Sports Central. November 29, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  20. "Box Score: Field Sports Complex - Sat, Nov 30, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. November 30, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  21. "Illinois Piasa Suffers 9-5 Home Loss to Detroit Waza". Our Sports Central. December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  22. "Box Score: The Field Sports Complex - Sat, Dec 07, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  23. "Box Score: The Field Sports Complex - Fri, Dec 20, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  24. "Box Score: Tri-County Soccerplex - Sat, Dec 21, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  25. "Box Score: Grand Sports Arena - Sat, Dec 28, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. December 28, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  26. "Box Score: Soccer Sportsplex - Sat, Jan 04, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  27. "Illinois Piasa fall to in-state rivals Chicago Mustangs 13-1". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. January 12, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  28. "Box Score: Field Sports Complex - Sat, Jan 11, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. January 11, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  29. Feikert, Paige (January 18, 2014). "B-52s too much for Illinois 11-5". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  30. "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sat, Jan 18, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. January 18, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  31. "Box Score: Field Sports Complex - Sat, Feb 01, 2014". Professional Arena Soccer League. February 1, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  32. Bullock, Michael (February 8, 2014). "Harrisburg Heat's playoff chances take big hit with 4-3 loss at Illinois". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA: Advance Publications. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  33. Bullock, Michael (February 8, 2014). "Hoping to keep its playoff hopes alive, the Harrisburg Heat will open a three-game road trip tonight at Illinois". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA: Advance Publications. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  34. "Box Score: Field Sports Complex - Sat, Feb 08, 2014". Professional Arena Soccer League. February 8, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  35. "B-52s win season finale". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. February 16, 2014. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  36. "Box Score: Field Sports Complex - Sat, Feb 15, 2014". Professional Arena Soccer League. February 15, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  37. "Game Cancelled (via Facebook)". Professional Arena Soccer League. February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  38. "Box Score: The Field Sports Complex - Sat, Dec 14, 2013". Professional Arena Soccer League. December 14, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
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