While plenty of work has been done off the field, Nov. 29 was a small but significant day in preparation for the 2026 Riveters season with the first on-field happening, the team’s Open Tryout.
Head coach Scott Gibson and his staff welcomed a mix of players to the AHN Montour Sports Complex for the one-day tryout, as interested trialists, select Riverhounds Academy players and a few of the Riveters’ returning players went through drills, small-sided games and more.
The Open Tryout a year ago had the distinction of being the first-ever Riveters on-field action, and from it came four players who made the team’s 2025 roster, including one — Carolina Lucci — who would appear for the club in its inaugural season. After this year’s tryout was completed, Gibson again felt the tryout drew players worthy of roster consideration going into 2026.
“I think it’s always good to see a player come through the whole journey, who started with the Open Tryout and worked their way all the way into the squad,” Gibson said. “It isn’t easy, and our network is bigger now, but I do think there will be one or two that will have the same impact that some of the girls did last year.”
It’s no easy task to break into the W League side coming through the Open Tryout process, and some who made the roster did not appear in a match a year ago. But those players were able to feature in matches with the Riveters 2 reserve team and reap the benefits of training every day with the squad, while bringing their own skills to push their teammates and enhance the level of play in Riveters training.
“It’s a chance to play with high-level players and train with them every day and feel what it’s like to be a pro, because there are a lot of players who played with us that have gone on or will go on to play professionally,” Gibson said. “We have the Riveters 2, so they can get game experience there. It helps us having them in the squad, and you see some of the girls like Gillianne (Stewardson) from last year, they loved the experience, and it helped them find their level.”
Take a look at some of the images from this year’s Riveters Open Tryout:
