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INDIANA TOWNSHIP, Pa. (June 11, 2025) — The Pittsburgh Riveters came home with all three points from their shortest road trip of the season, with goals by Anna Korney, Olivia Damico and Sabrina Bryan pushing the team to a 3-1 win at Steel City FC tonight at Founders Field.

Korney, a 15-year-old from DuBois, Pa., was making her first appearance for the Riveters (4-1-2), and her goal just 21 minutes into the match quickly made her the youngest scorer in the team’s short history.

Margherita Memoli scored for Steel City (2-1-2) to cut the lead to 2-1, but the Riveters held on to take control of first place in the USL W League’s Great Forest Division.

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First half

Steel City came out as the aggressor with a packed crowd around their home park, and they had two early chances on goal that missed just wide by Emily Cooper and Margaret Wilde.

The Riveters began to work into the match after the first 15 minutes, but Korney created the first goal from almost nothing at the 21-minute mark. The young forward won the ball from the Steel City defense on the left side and took a quick touch to cut inside. She released a curling shot from outside the box that skimmed the underside of the crossbar and settled into the bottom of the net.

The goal shifted the Riveters into high gear, and in the 36th minute the lead was doubled. Abi Hugh took a short corner kick and received the ball back, taking a touch before driving a head-height cross through the box. Damico timed her jump perfectly, and she turned a header back inside the near post to double the lead with her third goal of the season.

Second half

Early after the break, Steel City’s Audrey Bianco made an impressive run to weave through the defense and into the box, nearly reaching the 6-yard box on the left side. She couldn’t find a teammate, and eventually Piper Coffield bumped Cooper off the ball fairly and cleared the danger.

The Riveters also had their attacking moments but without success hitting the target, as chances for Tanum Nelson and Korney missed the frame.

Steel City began to press forward more in the final 15 minutes, and from a free kick in the 86th minute, the hosts got on the board. Lucy Ream delivered the kick from wide on the left, and Memoli was the first player up to it, redirecting a header past Riveters goalkeeper Pauline Nelles to make it 2-1.

A few nervous moments for the Riveters ended in the first minute of stoppage time, when Ava Boyd slipped a ball behind the defense with Bryan charging forward. Hesitation between Steel City players allowed Bryan to get on the ball cleanly, and she circled the goalkeeper to finish into an open net.

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Modelo Player of the Match

Abi Hugh was a tireless worker moving back to the wing back position she played to begin the year after a pair of matches tucked into the center of the formation. Her ability to get forward helped keep Steel City on its heels, and her delivery to assist Damico on the second goal was inch-perfect.

What’s next?

The Riveters return home to face Erie Sports Center at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 15 at Highmark Stadium. Erie (0-3-3) held the Riveters to a 1-1 draw last week in Erie, but they face a busy weekend with a home match against FC Buffalo the day before.

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Riveters SC lineup (4-3-3) — Pauline Nelles; Abi Hugh (Kate Friday 80’), Natalia DiSora, Piper Coffield, Bella Vozar; Annamarie Williams (Robin Reilly 80’), Jayden Sharpless (Kelsey Salopek 60’), Tanum Nelson (Minah Syam 71); Anna Korney (Ava Boyd 80’), Kennedy Neighbors (Sabrina Bryan 60’), Olivia Damico (Gina Proviano 71’)

Steel City FC lineup (4-3-3) — Payton O’Malley; Regan Reilly (Bri Ross 66’), Lucy Ream, Emily Graeca, Coco Dorfman (Saveria Ulizzi 61’); Margherita Memoli, Margaret Wilde (Maya Matesa 84’), Kayla Leseck; Emily Cooper, Audrey Bianco (Helena Locatelli 61’), Marissa Salisbury

Scoring summary

PIT — Anna Korney 21’
PIT — Olivia Damico 36’ (Abi Hugh)
STC — Margherita Memoli 86’ (Lucy Ream)
PIT — Sabrina Bryan 90+1’ (Ava Boyd)

Discipline summary

PIT — Annamarie Williams 79’ (caution – tactical foul)
PIT — Bella Vozar 88’ (caution – reckless foul)

PITTSBURGH (June 8, 2025) — Tanum Nelson claimed another first-time accolade in Pittsburgh Riveters history, scoring the club’s first hat trick to seal a 3-0 win over FC Buffalo this evening at Highmark Stadium.

Nelson, who already had the first goal in team history to her name, scored all three goals in the first half to keep the Riveters (3-1-2) atop the Great Forest Division. The midfielder and Vermont native now leads the team with five goals in six matches.

The Riveters led Buffalo (1-2-1) by a 21-11 count in total shots, and goalkeeper Pauline Nelles made three saves to record her third shutout of the season.

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First half

The start of the match was delayed 30 minutes because of lighting in the area, but the Riveters wasted no time pushing forward once play began, and Nelson had the team in front after only nine minutes. 

Alexis Tylenda slipped a pass around the defense and into the right side of the box, and Nelson timed her run perfectly to be first to the ball and fire it into the upper right corner.

In the 20th minute, Nelson doubled the lead by working the left side. This time, it was Olivia Damico who played provider on the pass, and Nelson this time finished with a soft touch around Buffalo goalkeeper Bella Simoncelli.

Four minutes before halftime, Nelson completed the historic hat trick. Damico served a cross from the right that was played by a Buffalo defender but caromed to Nelson. The Riveters’ midfielder took a touch to control the ball and finished in front of jubilant fans in Paul Child Stand on the stadium’s East End.

Second half

Buffalo came out more intent on getting forward after the break. Chloe Japic tested Nelles with a shot in the opening minutes, and shortly afterword, Annamarie Williams made a critical blocked shot when she got across just in time to rebuff Buffalo’s Skylar Cornell’s shot from 12 yards.

Simoncelli shone in the Buffalo goal in the second half, making a series of excellent saves to deny Abi Hugh, Tylenda and Damico before the hour mark. The Buffalo goalie finished with seven saves.

The Riveters had another flurry of chances in the 76th minute, when Bella Vozar was denied by Simoncelli. The rebound came to Minah Syam, who turned the ball toward the open net, only to have Buffalo defender Erin Weir clear the ball off the goal line.

Despite a few more chances for the Riveters, neither team found the net in the second half. The Riveters have not allowed a goal at home through three matches at Highmark Stadium.

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Modelo Player of the Match

Tanum Nelson earns her second Player of the Match honor with goals No. 3, 4 and 5 on the season. The rising senior at Cornell University has been a steady threat as an attacking midfielder with the Riveters, making runs behind the defense and taking a team-high five total shots.

What’s next?

The Riveters make the short trip to face Steel City FC (2-0-2) for the first time at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 11 at Founders Field in Indiana Township, Pa. Steel City is the last Great Forest Division team the Riveters have yet to face; they drew 2-2 with Erie in their most recent match Saturday.

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Riveters SC lineup (4-3-3) — Pauline Nelles; Lucia Wells (Sydney Lindeman 84’), Natalia DiSora, Piper Coffield, Bella Vozar; Abi Hugh (Kate Friday 84’), Annamarie Williams (Jayden Sharpless 62’), Tanum Nelson (Minah Syam 72’); Alexis Tylenda (Carolina Lucci 84’), Kennedy Neighbors (Sabrina Bryan 62’), Olivia Damico (Giną Proviano 72’)

FC Buffalo lineup (4-3-3) — Bella Simoncelli; Erin Weir, Charlie Pawli, Tess Ford (Delta Barber 72’), Claire DeAngelis (Paige Szymanski 46’); Gianna Tuzzolino, Lizzy Harkness, Eileen Solomon (Chloe Japic 5’, Lindsay Lenhard 63’); Skylar Cornell (Kylie Miranto 72’), Carissima Cutrona, Sarah Woods (Isabella Schmidt 72’)

Scoring summary

PIT — Tanum Nelson 9’ (Alexis Tylenda)
PIT — Tanum Nelson 20’ (Olivia Damico)
PIT — Tanum Nelson 41’ 

Discipline summary

BUF — Skylar Cornell 58’ (caution – persistent infringement)

(June 5, 2025) — A stoppage-time header cost the Pittsburgh Riveters full points, and the team had to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Erie Sports Center tonight at the Penn State Behrend Stadium in Erie, Pa.

Olivia Damico put the Riveters (2-1-2) in the lead early in the second half, but a header in traffic by Leya Bretz pulled Erie (0-3-2) level in the second of three added minutes.

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First half

The Riveters pushed forward early and often, and Damico slipped a pass through to Alexis Tylenda in the fourth minute, but an offside call negated the potential scoring chance. That would be a common sight in the match, as the Riveters were flagged for a whopping 13 offside infractions.

Kennedy Neighbors had a chance to put the Riveters ahead in the 26th minute after left back Lucia Wells hit just the right pass through the defense. Neighbors was able to get around Erie goalkeeper Morgan Sinan as she came off her line, but she was unable to turn her shot into the open net.

Riveters goalie Pauline Nelles made the first two of her three saves in the latter stages of the first half, but chances were few entering the break.

Second half

Tylenda, a constant runner forward all night, made the run that led to the Riveters opening the scoring.

In the 58th minute, she tracked down a ball on the left side, this time well onside. She carried the ball into the box before lifting a pass across the box to the back post, where Damico was ready and finished from inside 10 yards with a shot on her first touch.

It was the second goal in as many matches for Damico, the Penn State graduate, and the second assist of the season for Tylenda, who has four goal contributions (two goals, two assists) in her last three matches.

The Riveters came close to a second goal a minute later, when Lilly Bane slipped a pass to Tanum Nelson in the box, but Nelson’s shot was denied by Sinan.

The Riveters nearly saw the game out, but a foul in stoppage time gave Erie a free kick 35 yards from goal. Olivia Dixon booted a long ball into the middle of the box, and Bretz rose to get just enough of the ball to redirect it past Nelles and into the net.

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Modelo Player of the Match

Lucia Wells was excellent in a two-way role at left back for the Riveters. In addition to her defensive contribution, she created the team’s best first-half chance with her pass to Neighbors, and she was involved earlier in the build-up to Damico’s goal. 

What’s next?

The Riveters return home for a match against FC Buffalo (1-1-1), and a win will be necessary to stay in control of their path in the Great Forest Division after dropping points. The first-ever meeting between the two teams will be a 5 p.m. kickoff Sunday, June 8 at Highmark Stadium.

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Riveters SC lineup (4-2-3-1) — Pauline Nelles; Lucia Wells, Natalia DiSora, Piper Coffield, Bella Vozar (Kelsey Salopek 87’); Annamarie Williams (Minah Syam 61’), Abi Hugh (Sydney Lindeman 79’); Alexis Tylenda (Gina Proviano 87’), Tanum Nelson (Kate Friday 79’), Olivia Damico (Robin Reilly 61’); Kennedy Neighbors (Lilly Bane 61’)

Erie Sports Center lineup (4-5-1) — Morgan Sinan; Destinee Robertson, Hannah Shepard, Niamh Warrender, Olivia Dixon; Grace Emanuel, Lucy Horn (Leya Bretz 85′), Jade Brown, Judit Ferre Valls, Ellie Mills; Laoise O’hAodha (Autumn Waid 67′)

Scoring summary

PIT — Olivia Damico 58’ (Alexis Tylenda)
ESC — Leya Bretz 90+2’ (Olivia Dixon)

Discipline summary

ESC — Grace Emanuel 65’ (caution – reckless foul)
PIT — Minah Syam 78’ (caution – tactical foul)

PITTSBURGH (May 30, 2025) — Alexis Tylenda and Olivia Damico scored first-half goals to send the Pittsburgh Riveters to a rain-soaked USL W League win over Flower City 1872 tonight at Highmark Stadium.

Goalkeeper Pauline Nelles made four saves for the Riveters (2-1-1) to earn her second shutout of the season, and the Riveters completed a season sweep of Rochester, N.Y.-based Flower City (1-2-0).

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First half

Each team had early chances, starting with the Riveters’ Kennedy Neighbors turning the ball toward goal while on the ground in a penalty area scramble, only to have the Flower City defense clear it away from the goal line.

Nelles then was forced into action in the eighth minute when she got on the ground quickly to deny Emily Hanrahan, who got a step on the Riveters defense to get into the right side of the box.

The Riveters were on the board in the 20th minute after Tessa Dellarose hit a long-range shot that forced a save by Flower City’s Cate Burns. Tylenda anticipated the rebound and lifted a shot into the roof of the net to score for the second time in as many games. It was also the first-ever goal at home for the Riveters, scored by a graduate of nearby Shaler Area High School.

Just before halftime, the Riveters’ continued pressure paid off when Tanum Nelson slotted a pass through to Damico down the right channel. Damico, a native of Western New York, circled the charging goalkeeper and passed into the open net for a 2-0 lead in first-half stoppage time.

Second half

The second half settled in to more of a midfield battle with the Riveters intent on protecting their lead.

Tylenda nearly sprung an unmarked Robin Reilly for a breakaway in the 65th minute, but her lofted pass carried too far, and Burns was alertly off her line to collect.

Nelles was tested again in the 73rd minute on a long Flower City free kick into the box. Eva Poissant rose to turn a flicked header on goal, and Nelles had to scramble toward the bottom right corner of the net to push the ball around the post on the wet surface.

That would turn out to be the final shot on goal for Flower City — the Riveters also had just one more from that point — as the home team clamped down to complete the clean sheet.

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Modelo Player of the Match

Olivia Damico earns the honor for her well-measured run and timely finish against her hometown team. It was the first Riveters goal for the Penn State product, and it came one game after she set up tonight’s other goal scorer — Tylenda — to record her first assist with the club.

What’s next?

The Riveters head back on the road next week when they visit Erie Sports Center (0-2-1) for a 6 p.m. kickoff Thursday, June 5. Erie also has a road match at Flower City coming up this Sunday afternoon before facing the Riveters.

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Riveters SC lineup (4-2-3-1) — Pauline Nelles; Lucia Wells (Sydney Lindeman 87’), Natalia DiSora, Piper Coffield, Bella Vozar; Tessa Dellarose, Annamarie Williams (Minah Syam 72’); Alexis Tylenda (Ava Boyd 72’), Tanum Nelson (Giną Proviano 87’), Olivia Damico (Ella Bulava 61’); Kennedy Neighbors (Robin Reilly 61’)

Flower City 1872 lineup (4-4-2) — Cate Burns; Meghan Joerger, Maya Ikewood, Courtney Carter, Lily Brongo; Catherine Rogers, Jamie Keens (Morgan Goodman 70’), Delaney Tellex (Finn Cregan 78’), Jailyn Parrotte (Andrea Wilson 46’); Emily Hanrahan (Amelia Adiutori 65’), Sam Cipolla (Eva Poissant 46’)

Scoring summary

PIT — Alexis Tylenda 20’
PIT — Olivia Damico 45+1’ (Tanum Nelson)

Discipline summary

None