PITTSBURGH (May 1, 2026) — The Pittsburgh Riveters have secured two more players for the USL W League season beginning this month with the addition of midfielder Ashley Townsend and defender Ariana Borneo.
Townsend, 24, joins the Riveters after playing overseas with South Shields and Durham in the English league system, where, among her highlights, she scored twice in the opening round of the 2024-25 Women’s FA Cup to help South Shields score an upset win on penalties over Halifax.
Prior to her time overseas, the midfielder from New Concord, Ohio, was a two-time All-Crossroads League First Team selection, first at Mount Vernon Nazarene in 2021 and later in 2023 after her one graduate transfer season at Indiana Wesleyan. She finished her college career with 28 goals and 14 assists between the two NAIA schools.
“Ashley will bring a wealth of experience to the squad after a time overseas in England. She has a proven track record of scoring goals and will be another great addition to our attack,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said.
Borneo, 18, completed her freshman season with Ashland University in Ohio, where she appeared in 14 matches for a Eagles team that won the Great Midwest Conference and reached the Second Round of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Hailing from Morgantown, W.Va., Borneo was the West Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year in 2025 as a high school senior. She is also a Trinidad & Tobago international, representing the country in CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Qualifiers and making her senior debut for T&T in the 2024 Caribbean Queen’s Friendly Tournament in Curaçao.
“Ariana is a very quick wide player and recently joined us for a training session and impressed,” Gibson said. “For her young age, she has also gained some valuable international experience with the Trinidad & Tobago National Team. Ariana had an impressive youth career in West Virginia, and we are happy to welcome her to the group.”
The start of the Riveters’ season is little more than two weeks away, with the first match set for 7 p.m. Saturday, May 16, when the team hosts FC Buffalo at F.N.B. Stadium.
