PITTSBURGH (May 23, 2026) — A remarkable and unlikely late strike by goalkeeper Bailey Herfurth capped a wild contest that saw the Pittsburgh Riveters come back for a 3-3 draw against Flower City 1872 tonight at F.N.B. Stadium.
Lola Abraham and Taylor Green also scored for the Riveters (1-0-1), who maintained their undefeated mark in regular-season home matches going back to the team’s first season a year ago.
Amelia Breton, Sam Cipolla and Andrea Wilson scored for Rochester, N.Y.-based Flower City (1-0-1), which trailed 1-0 and 2-1 before rallying to take the lead.
First half
Abraham got the scoring started quickly in the 14th minute after Flower City cleared the first corner kick of the match. The ball only got as far as Abraham, who settled the ball and drove toward goal before scoring with a bouncing shot from 20 yards into the bottom left corner.
A corner kick led to Flower City’s first equalizer in the 37th minute, as Breton elevated in the box to head the delivery from Olivia Pilato off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.
The Riveters nearly got the goal back four minutes later when Ellen Molloy rifled a shot from distance, but Flower City goalkeeper Lindsay Parker got the slightest of touches to push the shot onto the crossbar for the best of her five saves in the match.
The first-half scoring continued from another Riveters set piece, as Molloy curled a free kick high into the box. The ball banked around in the mixer before Shannon Studer was able to head it diagonally toward goal, where Green turned it over the line before the Flower City defense could clear it off the line. It was the second goal in as many games for Green, the first-year Riveters center back.
Flower City wasn’t done, however, as in first-half stoppage time, Cipolla struck a perfect shot from the corner of the 18 that sent the ball across goal and into the top left corner. Cipolla now has three goals against the Riveters in three meetings, the most of any opposing player.
Second half
Both teams settled in defensively in the second half, but the Riveters swung the territorial advantage their way. After Flower City had a 5-1 lead in corner kicks in the first half, the Riveters won nine corners in the second half to finish with a 10-6 edge overall.
Despite that edge and multiple balls bouncing in front of the opposing goal, it was Flower City who pounced in the 81st minute. An awkwardly bouncing ball gave the Riveters’ back line trouble, and Wilson smartly ran through the play to volley the ball into the goal and put the Riveters behind for the first time in 2026.
It took until the final minute of stoppage time for the Riveters to pull level, as they sent all 11 players forward for the last corner kick. The ball curled in by Emme Butera wasn’t fully cleared by Flower City and rolled to Herfurth, who was waiting to the right of the penalty spot.
The West Virginia University goalkeeper swung her right foot through the ball and hit it cleanly, ripping a high shot that stayed under the bar and tied the match, setting off a wild celebration around Herfurth for her first goal “ever,” as she told reporters afterward.
Modelo Man of the Match
Bailey Herfurth provided a top contender for the most memorable goal in the Riveters’ short history. It capped a game where she only recorded one save — though she was hardly culpable on three well-taken Flower City goals — but she was solid coming off her line to stave off a very direct Flower City attack.
What’s next?
The Riveters hit the road for the first time in 2026, but they won’t travel far as they are set to face Steel City FC (1-0-0) on Thursday, May 28 at Founders Field in Indiana Township, Pa.
Riveters SC lineup (4-3-3) — Bailey Herfurth; Brielle LaBerge (Brooke Fabri 86’), Piper Coffield (Gabby Lamparty 63’), Taylor Green, Bella Vozar; Shannon Studer (Minah Syam 46’), Emme Butera, Ellen Molloy (Ashley Townsend 86’); Lola Abraham, Kennedy Neighbors (Sabrina Bryan 46’), Alexis Tylenda (Emily Hanrahan 63’)
Flower City 1872 lineup (4-2-3-1) — Lindsay Parker; Meghan Joerger, Liana Tata, Kyleigh Bathe, Ella Perkins (Sophia Puccia 66’); Catherine Rogers, Mia Gray; Amelia Breton (Finn Cregan 66’), Andrea Wilson, Olivia Pilato; Sam Cipolla (Lindsay Ford 75’)
Scoring summary
PIT — Lola Abraham 14’
FLC — Amelia Breton 37’ (Olivia Pilato)
PIT — Taylor Green 44’ (Shannon Studer)
FLC — Sam Cipolla 45+1’
FLC — Andrea Wilson 81’
PIT — Bailey Herfurth 90+4’
Discipline summary
FLC — Ella Perkins 16’ (caution – tactical foul)
