They say rain on a wedding day can be a good omen for couples, so perhaps rain on their kit reveal day was a sign of great things to come for the Riveters in their first season of competition in 2025.
That kit reveal event, just days before the Riveters’ first-ever match on May 16, started off a whirlwind two-month season that saw Pittsburgh’s first W League team captivate fans and march its way to the Great Forest Division title in Year 1. With both team and individual accolades rolling in, as well as great support from founding partners Breeze Airways and 84 Lumber, the Riveters got a lot of things right in their debut season while still learning some lessons along the way. (For instance, that kit reveals should be an indoor event!)
Great at the gate, figuring it out on the field
If there was any question whether Pittsburgh would embrace a women’s soccer team, that was answered resoundingly by 6,077 fans who packed Highmark Stadium for the opening match against the Cleveland Force. With vocal support behind them, the Riveters battled the team that would end up second behind them in the division standings. There was a sense the proverbial roof was ready to blow off the place, and it almost did when Piper Coffield‘s goal was disallowed in the second half, but the first Riveters match in history finished as a 0-0 draw.
The early parts of the season naturally contained many firsts. Goalkeeper Pauline Nelles recorded the first shutout in team history in the opener, and in the next match, away at Flower City 1972, Tanum Nelson recorded the first goal in Riveters history — along with the second — to help the team to a 3-2 win, its first ever.
But results remained uneven through the early stages with a 3-2 loss at Cleveland, a rain-soaked home win over Flower City and a disappointing 1-1 draw at Erie to leave the team 2-1-2 at the midway point.
Lots of goals, even more wins
The second half of the season arrived with the team aiming to pull away from the pack, and it started stacking those wins with a home match against FC Buffalo.
Nelson again was at the center of the action, scoring the team’s first-ever hat trick in the first half of a 3-0 win, and that set up another key showdown on the road at Steel City FC. The scoring kept coming for the Riveters, as 15-year-old Anna Korney found the net on her debut, Olivia Damico headed in a second goal, and Sabrina Bryan wrapped up a 3-1 win by showing at 26-years old — the eldest on the field — she can still find the net just as well as the kids.
The Riveters blitzed Erie for a 7-0 win at home before Minah Syam salvaged a 1-1 draw at Buffalo to set up one final game for it all: Win or draw at home against Steel City and win the division.
The match, played in front of a second sellout crowd of 5,751, had plenty of drama after Steel City pulled ahead on a first-half penalty kick that was the first goal conceded at home by the Riveters. But with 20 minutes to play Sydney Lindeman found the net with a ball that saw its way through tons of traffic in the box. That goal was enough to wrap up the division, but Gina Proviano put an exclamation point on the contest when she bagged the winner in stoppage time for a 2-1 victory.
The put the Riveters into the USL W League Playoffs, making the team one of 16 to qualify out of 93 total. And though the playoff stay was short-lived after a 2-0 defeat against a Minnesota Aurora team that is now in the W League’s final four, the match at Highmark Stadium was a great indicator of where the team is and where it still can grow.
Big picture, bigger future
There was no shortage of accolades to come from the Riveters first season, which finished with a 6-2-3 overall record and an average attendance of 4,792 for regular-season home games.
Nelson finished as the top scorer for the team and tied for the top in the division with six goals. That, plus a pair of assists, made the midfielder from Vermont a natural choice as the first Player of the Year selected by the Steel Army, the Riverhounds and Riveters supporters’ group. Damico was right behind her with four goals and three assists, which tied for the team lead with Alexis Tylenda.
The defensive players got their accolades, as well, after the team posted four clean sheets, three by Nelles. Right back Bella Vozar was named to a bench spot for the league’s Team of the Month in May, and left back Abi Hugh earned the same honor for June while starting at three different positions. Vozar also ended as the team’s leader in minutes, a title she snagged because center back Natalia DiSora missed one match for good reason: a call-up to training camp with the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team.
With all that went right — including Coffield’s declaration to reporters after the playoff match that she can be counted in for 2026 — head coach Scott Gibson also spoke after that match about being more strategic in building the new year’s roster to account for potential players absences that arise from call-ups, college commitments and other demands. Opportunities such as DiSora’s call-up and captain Tessa Dellarose‘s participation in the 7v7 The Soccer Tournament alongside U.S. Soccer legends reflect well on the young team and can’t be passed up, but it also presents challenges during the compact W League season.
Keeping all those factors and achievements in mind, it would be hard to classify 2025 as anything but a successful launch for the Riveters. But celebrations can only last a short while, and while everyone is catching their breath right now, preparations to make the Riveters rise higher in Year 2 will begin in earnest faster than anyone realizes.
