WASHINGTON — An empty folding chair has a polo shirt tied to it and a sign that reads "Reserved for Coach Spitzer." It sits alongside the Washington girls soccer team's bench during home games.

The team's warm-up shirts have "This is the most important game" written on the back, along with "Coach Spitzer '96" along the bottom.

A moment of silence is held before each of the team's games at Babcook Field.

The Washington girls soccer program is doing all it can this spring to remember and honor the late Stephen Spitzer, who had been named the team's coach in August after being an assistant for four years

Spitzer died of a heart attack Feb. 20, about a month before the team's opening game. He was 56.

Obituary:With soccer season poised to begin, a Washington coach dies suddenly of a heart attack

Noel Zerbonia, an assistant for five years and a sectional assistant of the year in 2021, was named the team's interim coach in March. Josh Edwards was named an interim assistant at the same time to fill Zerbonia's spot on the coaching staff, which also includes assistants Brett Miller and Dan Sinclair.

"I've wanted to be the coach of a high school soccer team," Zerbonia said, "but certainly not under these circumstances."

Spitzer's name is synonymous with Washington girls soccer. So is his favorite coaching phrase — "This is the most important game" — that he used to keep his team focused on the game it was playing.

This was going to be Spitzer's second tour of duty as the Panthers' coach. He was the team's first coach when it was founded in 1996, learning about the coaching opportunity through a newspaper ad, and he remained the coach until 2006.

Zerbonia, 52, said he knew Spitzer for quite a while and had great respect for him as a person, coach and work colleague.

New bosses:Here are 5 new Peoria-area high school coaches this spring season

"I think we first met about 15-20 years ago when I was officiating his games," Zerbonia said. "We worked in the same Caterpillar building until he retired from Cat (in 2018).

"I told Steve a few years ago about an opening for an assistant girls soccer coach at Washington. That's how he got involved in the program again."

After Spitzer died, Zerbonia said, Washington athletics director Herb Knoblauch asked him if I'd be interested in coaching the girls soccer team this season on an interim basis.

The decision was an easy one.

"It was important for the team to keep a sense of continuity," Zerbonia said. "I knew a lot of the girls on the team and had good relationships with them. I'd even coached some at the club level."

The Panthers have been holding their own this season despite the unexpected loss of their coach. They were 7-6-3 overall and 3-1-1 in the Mid-Illini Conference at the start of the week.

"Coach Spitzer cared about us more than just as soccer players," Washington senior center-back Ellie Livengood said. "He cared about what was going on in our lives.

"If someone went to an event like a wedding over the weekend, he'd always ask us about it on Monday. He was a good coach because you could open up to him. He connected with you. And he was always an uplifting person."

Peoria's best:Meet 18 top players to watch in Peoria-area high school girls soccer

Defender-midfielder Libby Nabhan said Spitzer was a nice person who wanted his players to thrive on and off the field.

"He was someone you could talk to if you were having a rough time with something," she said. "It seemed like everyone at school, even people who aren't soccer players, knew what a nice guy he was."

Zerbonia is well known in the area soccer scene. He's been involved for more than 30 years as a coach, referee and player. He's been an assistant coach for the Peoria Notre Dame boys soccer team since 2019, winning an award as a sectional assistant coach of the year in 2021.

He's coached club soccer teams since 2003 — he's been the high school girls coach for Peoria FC United since 2019 — and he's assisted the Washington Park District with recreation soccer leagues including the assigning of officials.

Off the soccer field, he's been a project leader at Caterpillar since 2012. He earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois in 1993.

Steve Stein can be reached at (248) 224-2616 or stevestein21@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.