PITTSBURGH (May 16, 2026) — Five goals from five different goal scorers propelled the Pittsburgh Riveters to a season-opening win over FC Buffalo, 5-0, in front of a jubilant sellout crowd of 5,088 at F.N.B. Stadium.
Piper Coffield, Ellen Molloy, Shannon Studer, Taylor Green and Sabrina Bryan all found the net for the Riveters (1-0-0) against a Buffalo (0-1-0) team that last season contended until the final week before the Riveters clinched the Great Forest Division.
Bailey Herfurth made three saves to secure the shutout for the Riveters, who have allowed one goal in six regular season home games dating back to last year.
First half
Though the Riveters finished with a 22-6 edge in shots, it was Buffalo who recorded the first of the match when Sarah Woods missed a near-post header just wide.
Play soon shifted the home side’s way, and on the first corner kick of the match in the 12th minute, Molloy served the ball to the head of Coffield, who turned home the opening goal of the season. The goal came in Coffield’s first match since last July after she suffered an ACL injury in the fall season, and it was a fitting turnaround after the center back had a goal disallowed in the season opener a season ago.
Molloy kept the Riveters on the front foot in the 23rd minute when she corralled a long, diagonal ball from Brielle LaBerge. The Irish international struck the ball on the half-volley and doubled the lead with her left foot.
LaBerge played provider again in the 38th minute, when the left back hit another big, diagonal ball that found Studer pushing forward alone on the right. Studer touched the ball around the goalkeeper to make it 3-0 at the break.
Second half
The Riveters had an early opportunity for a fourth goal when Lola Abraham won a penalty kick in the 50th minute. Buffalo goalkeeper Jordan Senz came up with her team’s most spectacular moment — and two of her 11 saves — as she dove to deny Abraham’s penalty before springing up to push Bryan’s follow-up attempt off the crossbar.
A free kick two minutes later led to the fourth goal, as Green met a low service from Bella Vozar to give both of the team’s starting center backs a goal.
The scoring wrapped up in the 83rd minute when Bryan outpaced the defense to receive a big pass played forward from Vozar, and her soft touch around Senz set off one last celebration on the South Shore.
Modelo Player of the Match
Emme Butera, on a night when a handful of players popped up on the scoresheet, played an unsung, 90-minute role clamping down on the Buffalo attack and keeping the ball moving from her holding midfield spot.
What’s next?
The Riveters will be home again on Saturday, May 23 when they host Rochester, N.Y. club Flower City 1872 at F.N.B. Stadium. Flower City has yet to play its opening match.
Riveters SC lineup (4-3-3) — Bailey Herfurth; Brielle LaBerge (Kate Friday 79’), Piper Coffield (Gabby Lamparty 62’), Taylor Green, Bella Vozar; Emme Butera, Shannon Studer (Annamarie Williams 46’), Lola Abraham (Minah Syam 72’); Kennedy Neighbors (Emily Hanranhan 62’), Alexis Tylenda (Sabrina Bryan 46’), Ellen Molloy (Fiona Mahan 72’)
FC Buffalo lineup (4-3-3) — Jordan Senz; Claire DeAngelis (Paige Kuisis 79’), Reagan Moore, Sophie Rourke, Baillie Colling; Lindsay Lenhard, Gianna Tuzzolino (Ekemini Udofa 46’), Rosie Bandura (Isabellą Schmidt 46); Paige Szymanski, Ava Plezia (Katie Sellers 83’), Sarah Woods
Scoring summary
PIT — Piper Coffield 12’ (Ellen Molloy)
PIT — Ellen Molloy 23’ (Brielle LaBerge)
PIT — Shannon Studer 38’ (Brielle LaBerge)
PIT — Taylor Green 52’ (Bella Vozar)
PIT — Sabrina Bryan 83’ (Bella Vozar)
Discipline summary
BUF — Reagan Moore 51’ (caution – tactical foul)
