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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:

Editor’s note: University of Kentucky student Addy Jacoby was a part of the summer associate staff for the first season in Riveters’ history. After completing her time with the club this summer, Jacoby wrote the following piece to reflect on what she took away from the team’s historic inaugural year.

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By Addy Jacoby

Being told that you are a part of an inaugural season is not something you often get to experience in sports. But going into my first summer home from college, the thing I looked forward to the most was being part of the Pittsburgh Riveters’ first year.

During winter, I got the email that that I would be joining the Riveters staff as a summer associate. I was over the moon that I would be firsthand at all the new things happening at Highmark Stadium and be able to help the newest team in Pittsburgh. 

I quickly realized that everything almost seemed easier because it was the first time and everything was new. Social media ideas were simple because there was no chance of repeats, and story ideas were coming from all sort of directions.

As the season progressed it became more and more clear that all the nerves going into the season were not worth it. Sports change so quickly, and with every game, there is a new story or something to be worked on the next day. I learned how fast-paced a sports environment is, whether its on a game day or a regular day in the office.  

The final regular season game is one of the best ways to describe the ups and downs of sports. The Riveters were in a do-or-die situation for playoffs. The team started off by falling behind, knowing their season could come to an end with a loss. Then, in the middle of the game, we hear shocking news out of Buffalo that meant the Riveters had to win or draw, and moments later, we tie the game. 

Thoughts of the upcoming week and preparation for playoffs were at the front of my mind, but nothing was official until Gina Proviano scored the game-winning goal to seal the playoff spot. That solidified our spot hosting, and the celebration could only be a short one until it became time to set up for playoffs the next weekend.  

The quick turnaround in sports is unlike anything else. One minute, the season is close to an end, and the next you’re setting up to host two rounds of playoff matches. The Riveters taught me, as an intern, that nothing is ever set in stone in this type of workplace, but that’s the fun of working in sports. 

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!)

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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.

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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.

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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.

By Addy Jacoby

Playoff soccer is coming to Pittsburgh again, and this time, it’s the women leading the way!  

In their inaugural season, the Pittsburgh Riveters clinched the Great Forest Division and will be the Central Conference host in the USL W League Playoffs this Friday and Sunday at Highmark Stadium. 

From the start, the Riveters were looking to make an impact in their new league and create a high standard. The team started out with a mixed 2-1-2 record after five games, which had it in a strong position to make the playoffs, but the team needed to pile up wins in the second half to make playoffs a reality. 

FC Buffalo appeared to be the Riveters biggest threat when it came to making playoffs, with the Cleveland Force and Steel City FC also dangerous in a very strong division. The ambition for the last five games was to win out, but that would not be an easy task. 

The Riveters started their playoff push with a great game in early June against Buffalo on June 8, a 3-0 win at home. Tanum Nelson collected the first ever Riveters hat trick with all three goals coming in the first half. The Riveters surged to the top of the division with the win, but they next had to face their cross-town opponent, Steel City, only three days later.  

Making her first appearance, 15-year-old Hounds Academy standout Anna Korney put the first goal away 21 minutes after forcing a defensive error by Steel City. Olivia Damico then added to the Riveters lead with a header before halftime. Steel City put one away late in the game to set up a dramatic finish, but Sabrina Bryan sealed the deal in stoppage time to help the Riveters win, 3-1. 

With another quick turnaround, the Riveters were back at home hosting Erie Sports Center, a team that held them to a frustrating 1-1 draw earlier in the season. The Riveters played an inspired match to earn their largest victory of the season the, a 7-0 win with two goals each from Bryan and Gina Proviano, and further goals by Nelson, Tessa Dellarose and Damico. 

After a week of rest came a showdown at Buffalo, which had not lost since facing the Riveters in Pittsburgh. Both teams would search for the victory, knowing that whichever one came out with three points would control their path to the playoff.  

The game felt like a playoff match, and both teams had a penalty kick saved, but Buffalo took the lead with only nine minutes remaining. The Riveters needed at least a draw to maintain their first-place spot going into the final match, and in stoppage time, Minah Syam poked the ball into the net for her first goal of the year, a critical one that came after a scramble in the box that began with a Dellarose corner kick. 

The Riveters left Buffalo still in first place and spent the week knowing a win over Steel City the next Friday would be enough to clinch the division and send them to the playoffs. But hours before kickoff, the team learned Cleveland Force had taken all three points against Buffalo, and with three straight wins to end their season, the Force had temporarily taken over first place with their schedule completed.  

That made the Riveters’ task clear: Win or draw to reach the playoffs or miss out with a loss. 

With much anticipation, the last Riveters home game brought all the excitement and a crowd of 5,761 — a top-10 crowd in Highmark Stadium history. But it was Steel City that took a lead to halftime after Emily Graeca silenced the crowd by scoring from a penalty kick.  

After a long buildup and some excellent chances denied by Steel City, it was another first-time goal scorer, Sydney Lindeman, who finally found the back of the net with a long-range shot that squeezed past the Steel City backline and teammates to find the bottom corner of the net. That goal would have been enough, but Proviano capped off a celebration in the final 30 seconds by putting away the winning goal for the Riveters to sweep Steel City and officially clinch the Great Forest Division title. 

The surge in the second half of the season has made the inaugural season a special one for the Riveters, but the team now has a chance to make more history in the playoffs. They will try to do so when they host Minnesota Aurora FC at 1 p.m. on Friday, July 4, as the Riveters make their playoff debut. 

Entering their first season, the Riveters set the goal of reaching the USL W League Playoffs. With only 10 days left in the season and two matches remaining, the path to that goal is clear, but not without its potential pitfalls.

At 5-1-2 (17 points) on the season, the Riveters hold first place in the Great Forest Division to lead what has boiled down to a three-team race with FC Buffalo (4-2-1, 13 points) and Steel City FC (3-1-3, 12 points). Because those two chasing teams are the Riveters’ final opponents and each holds a game in hand, any of the three would clinch the division title by winning their final three matches.

Where the Riveters hold the edge, however, is that a win and a draw in their final two matches — in either order — would be enough to secure the top spot. That would get the Riveters to 21 points, a total neither Buffalo nor Steel City can reach if they drop points the rest of the way.

Should the Riveters lose one of their final two matches, it opens the door for them to be caught. At that point, tiebreakers also become a concern. Head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker, and the Riveters did win their first meeting with both Buffalo and Steel City. But if a loss to one of those teams makes that tiebreaker even, the next criterion is goal difference, which currently stands with the Riveters at +14, Buffalo at +11 and Steel City at +3.

Two final caveats remain in the overall picture:

• Buffalo and Steel City cannot both take maximum points from their final three matches. Those two play in Buffalo on Sunday, June 29, the final day of the regular season.

• The Cleveland Force (2-2-3, 9 points) is still mathematically alive. However, given that the top three teams all face each other, the Force would need to win all three of their matches and hope for a near-perfect set of results from every other match in the division to ensure no one eclipses 18 points.

With all that in mind, the Riveters’ task is simple entering their next match in Buffalo this Saturday night: Take four points from the final two matches, and the Great Forest Division Champions banner can be ordered for Highmark Stadium.

On average, more than 2.3 million kids sign up to play soccer from the ages of 6 to 12. At this age, children also start to create role models and form connections with older people through shared hobbies. 

The Pittsburgh Riveters are the newest inspiration for the next generation of female soccer players and female athletes. Pittsburgh is home to four professional teams in men’s sports — the Penguins, Pirates, Steelers and Riverhounds — but lacks a professional women’s team in any sport.

On top of that, Western Pennsylvania has become known for producing top-tier soccer talent. Over the past decade, the WPIAL, the Pittsburgh area’s high school sports district, has been one of the best in both girls and boys soccer. In 2021, all eight PIAA state championship games featured teams from the WPIAL, with five of them securing the state title, and most years feature a handful of finalists from the WPIAL. 

With that in mind, establishing the Riveters in the USL W League filled a hole in the Pittsburgh sports landscape.

The Riveters were officially founded by Pittsburgh’s professional soccer club, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, to serve as a women’s First Team opposite their men’s team in the USL Championship. Announced on April 27, 2024, the vision was to create a top-quality, pre-professional women’s team with the hope of building a fan base and enable the team to become a full professional team in years to come. 

In the team’s planning, local soccer fans were given an opportunity to have a voice in selecting the team’s name and mascot. After a lengthy voting process, the Pittsburgh Riveters was the finalized name, an homage to Rosie the Riveter, a significant symbol of female strength during World War II. 

Then came the process of selecting players and coaches for the newly formed team. Scott Gibson, Academy Director at the Riverhounds and the ECNL coach for the girls’ side, was chosen as the first head coach of the Riveters. When asked about why he decided to start coaching girls’ soccer, Gibson stated: “They’re so determined and responsive to what we ask them to do. It’s a joy to work with them. I didn’t see myself primarily working with girls and women, but it’s a lot of fun.” 

One of the first players to accept an invitation with the Riveters was Pittsburgh native and Riverhounds Academy product Lucia Wells. Wells was a standout player at North Allegheny High School who chose to take her talents to the University of Pittsburgh, where she will be entering her junior year this upcoming fall. 

“Honestly, it is such a surreal feeling being able to represent the city in so many ways, especially being with North Allegheny and winning multiple championships and then going to the University of Pittsburgh and doing really well there. We made it to the Elite Eight the other year,” Wells said. “Now, playing for the Riveters, and we just had our first win, there is just a big audience now looking into women’s sports around this area, and I think it’s a very good opportunity for the city.”

The audience for women’s sports is rapidly expanding, and this growth is profoundly influencing the younger generation of female athletes. After the first home game, players stayed on the field to sign autographs as fans piled onto the field. 

“It was like a feeling you’ll never be able to describe or forget. We were on that field for about an hour signing autographs, and I don’t even think we got to everybody,” Wells said. “I’ve never experienced something like that—I’ve never had that many people at a game I’ve played in. It was just a very new experience.” 

Riveters goalkeeper coach Reaghan Duval holds multiple roles within the soccer community: assistant coach at Robert Morris University, Riverhounds Academy goalkeeper coach, and previously, she was a coach and player in the USL W League with the Greenville Liberty. But first game nerves didn’t only hit players on the big stage at sold out Highmark Stadium. Coaches felt it as the momentum of the new season grew throughout the opening week. 

“How we’re selling out, how there are no more tickets left, standing room only — it’s like you never know if that’s actually going to be real until you’re there standing there,” Duval said. “I thought it was pretty funny, we walked out for warm-ups, and I even got a little bit nervous, and I’m just warming up the goalkeepers.”  

Duval said the Riveters opener will be hard to compare to any other atmosphere she’s been a part of, with 6,077 fans making it the fourth-largest crowd in stadium history.

“It was actually electric, that is the perfect way to describe it. I think that the fans were amazing all throughout the night,” Duval said. 

The Riveters launch has been a significant step in elevating the visibility of women’s sports in the Pittsburgh area, but there is more to come. As the team continues to grow and raise its profile, there will continue to be an expansion of equitable opportunities and a chance to capture the national spotlight.

“It’s empowering a generation of players in the city, not just in our youth academy, which is a big part of this, but young girls in Pittsburgh are looking up to the Riveters players, and the players are just great role models,” Duval said.

Feature written by Riveters contributor Addy Jacoby

When 6,077 fans packed Highmark Stadium — the fourth-largest soccer crowd in the building’s history — to witness the first match in Pittsburgh Riveters SC history, it was a significant moment both for the nascent team and for women’s sports in Pittsburgh.

Young women and girls in the hundreds, and likely thousands, attended to see the Riveters make the first step into USL W League play. Having that pre-professional platform on display in Pittsburgh was an opportunity that was not visible during the formative years for the current Riveters’ players, many of whom come from the area. And with seeing the possibility of what could be built, it allows for the younger generation to dream even bigger with the possibility of one day having a hometown team in the top professional division of U.S. Soccer.

But if the Riveters’ opening night showed anything, it’s that the team is for everyone in Pittsburgh. Fans of all ages, genders and walks of life were able to connect and enjoy the highest level of women’s club soccer that has called the city home. And as grateful as the Riveters’ players and staff were for the support on the first night, the team’s goal remains to continue pushing forward for bigger and better for the city and the fans.

(This is Part 2 of a series about the impact of the launch of the Riveters in 2025. Click here to read Part 1, where local girls and young women in soccer share their thoughts about the new team.)

The emergence of the Pittsburgh Riveters represents a goal for young girls and an opportunity for young women still playing the game, bringing a higher level right to our back yard in Pittsburgh.

But the team also represents growth in the sports industry overall, and specifically in women’s sports.

Karina Graziani is one example of the opportunities sports provide off the field, serving as the Associate Director of Athletics for Sports Communications at Carlow University.

“I just think representation is important. It’s really hard to imagine yourself doing something if you don’t see someone who looks like you doing it,” Graziani said. “Even in my career, there were not a lot of women in sports information, but when I go to the conference in the summer, there’s a lot more.”

Katie Stumpp, the Associate Athletic Director of Administration at the University of Pittsburgh, knows that Pittsburgh is ready for women after guiding women’s programs at the NCAA Division I level. 

“You’re showing the youth, and you’re showing young women that anything is possible. And you could be out there, right?” Stumpp said. “I think the most amount of success or growth comes from being able to see and have someone there, knowing you don’t have to be the one to break through. Somebody is there and giving them an example of, “I can do this,” because it is possible.”

Stumpp also mentions a key theme among college athletes and professionals is the joy that soccer has brought them and the value it holds in their lives.

“This is the opportunity to give the youth that something to look up to and something to aspire to, giving them more role models in their life and helping them to celebrate soccer as much as they can,” she said.

As the Riveters bring the new era of women’s sports to Pittsburgh, they will need community support. And many people had a message for our first team of Riveters athletes. 

“Thank you for taking part in this. And I mean, I know it’s probably not going to be easy, because I’ve met a lot of women’s athletes that have to do stuff on the side as well. I just think that’s really inspirational that you’re willing to take the risk, if you will,” said Carlow soccer player Meghan McCoy.

“I just want to let them know that what they’re doing really is so amazing and special,” said Anna Gribik, another Carlow player. “Being able to actually go watch these women play is going to be such an important thing for all of the young athletes, so I want to let the players know how important they are and how big of an influence they have on women in Pittsburgh.”

“We have a saying with women’s soccer here (at Pitt) that they made ‘herstory.’ And that’s been something fun,” Stumpp said. “Leave your legacy has been our other big thing. Go out there, and we’re behind you, and you always have the opportunity to create your own legacy and to make ‘herstory’ in some way.”

 (Feature by Riveters contributor Jameson Keebler.)