PITTSBURGH (April 10, 2026) — Two more players from the inaugural Pittsburgh Riveters season are set to return to the team for 2026 with defender Ella Bulava and forward Annalyse Bauer lined up to be in black and yellow this summer. Both players hail from nearby Latrobe, Pa. and are products of the Riverhounds Development Academy’s ECNL teams.
Bulava, 20, just completed her sophomore season at the University of Maryland, where she appeared in every match for the Terrapins, starting four, and she also recorded her first college assist in a season-opening win over Lehigh. Last summer with the Riveters, Bulava made three appearances as a defensive substitute, closing out a trio of victories including the division-clinching win in the regular-season finale over Steel City FC.
“We are pleased to welcome Ella back again this season. She will bring valuable experience from her development at Maryland after playing every game this past Fall,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “Ella provides a lot of versatility to the group and is a leader in the way she works, each and every day in training. She played a big impact last year in our final regular season games, and we are excited to see her continued development this season.”
Bauer, 18, is set to join the team at Eastern Michigan University in the fall after graduating from Greater Latrobe High School, where she is the school’s all-time leading scorer. Last year, she was a Second Team All-ECNL Ohio Valley Conference selection for her play with the RDA, and she made her Riveters debut as a substitute in the team’s playoff match against Minnesota Aurora FC.
“Annalyse was drafted in from the RDA last year and thrown into the playoff game last season against Minnesota. This experience, coupled with her excellent senior year in the RDA, has earned her a full-time position as a Riveter this summer,” Gibson said. “Both Annalyse and Ella are proof of the pathway that exists, and they are leading the way for more players to follow.”
The Riveters are only a month away from the start of their preseason, and tickets are now on sale for every regular-season home match this May and June. Visit riveterssc.com/tickets for more information or to buy today.
