News

PITTSBURGH (Jan. 23, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has added another homegrown player to its squad for 2025 with the addition of Towson University defender Sydney Lindeman.

Lindeman, 21, is a graduate of Franklin Regional High School in nearby Murrysville, Pa., and she played her club soccer with the Riverhounds Development Academy on their Elite Clubs National League team. Her roster spot is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval once 2025 registration opens.

“Sydney is a player that we know well and have worked with for years in the Academy. As a player, she is extremely intelligent and very smooth on the ball. Her versatility, temperament and overall class will be an asset to the team this upcoming season,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said.

Lindeman just completed her redshirt sophomore season with the Tigers, making 14 appearances and nine starts in a Towson defense that was one of the stingiest in the Coastal Athletic Association, allowing only 17 goals in 19 matches. The previous season — her first full year on the field after a medical redshirt in 2022 — she appeared in all but two matches for Towson as the team won the CAA title and reached the NCAA Tournament before falling in the opening round to North Carolina.

Prior to college, Lindeman starred at Franklin Regional, where she was an all-WPIAL, all-state and U.S. Soccer Coaches Association All-Region II East honoree. She also received top honors for her play in the Hounds Academy, being tabbed for the ECNL National Selection Game at the ECNL Florida showcase in 2022.

Gibson and the Riveters continue to assemble a top-quality roster ahead of the team’s on-field debut in the USL W League this May. To keep up with Riveters news, visit riveterssc.com and follow the team @RivetersSC on Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter.

PITTSBURGH (Jan. 9, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC continues to build its inaugural roster with the addition of West Virginia University goalkeeper Bailey Herfurth for the 2025 season.

Herfurth, 21, just completed her first season with the Mountaineers as a redshirt sophomore, having made the move to Morgantown after two years at Louisiana State University. Her spot on the Riveters roster is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval once registration opens for the 2025 season.

“Bailey brings in a wealth of experience playing at the W League level, and we are delighted to welcome her to the Riveters. After just one meeting with Bailey, we knew right away that she shared the same vision as our coaching staff, and she will be an integral to our success. We now have two excellent players at the goalkeeper position, and both Bailey and Pauline Nelles will give us the foundation and quality needed at the position to be successful,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said.

Herfurth’s USL W League experience is highlighted by being named to the W League Team of the Year and winning the league’s Golden Glove in 2023 with Tampa Bay United. With Herfurth in net, Tampa Bay posted a perfect 12-0-0 record in division play and advanced to the league’s Southern Conference Final.

Originally from Northport, N.Y., Herfurth attended IMG Academy in Florida, where she was a three-year starter for the high school powerhouse. She redshirted her first year at LSU, and saw her first college action when she drew the start against Memphis in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, making four saves in a 2-1 defeat.

Last fall, in her first season at West Virginia, Herfurth appeared in six matches and did not allow a goal in 219 minutes of play, earning her first collegiate shutout and victory on Sept. 1 against Robert Morris.

For more about the Riveters as they approach their debut this May, be sure to visit riveterssc.com and follow the team’s handle, @RivetersSC, on Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter. 

PITTSBURGH (Jan. 6, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC made another big addition to its debut season roster, adding Arizona State and German youth international goalkeeper Pauline Nelles for the 2025 season.

Nelles, 22, just completed her third college season in goal for the Sun Devils, and she is the second player set to join the Riveters with international experience, having represented Germany from the U15 through U20 levels. Her roster spot is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval once registration opens for the 2025 season.

“We are delighted to welcome a goalkeeper of Pauline’s quality to the Pittsburgh Riveters. Her experience as a player at Arizona State and with the German Youth National teams is exactly what we are looking for in such an important position on the field,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “Pauline’s dedication to the game, quality of her shop stopping, and ability to use her feet and play out fits into our overall philosophy of the team that we are building. We look forward to welcoming Pauline to Pittsburgh.”

A native of Bonn, Germany, Nelles already has a decorated international career. She played all five matches in Germany’s triumph at the 2019 UEFA Women’s U-17 Championship and was the hero of the final, stopping four penalty kicks as Germany defeated the Netherlands for the European Championship in a shootout. She also was a member of Germany’s squad at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Shortly after competing at the U-20 World Cup, Nelles began her college career at Arizona State. 

A starter from the outset for the Sun Devils, Nelles has recorded 18 shutouts in 56 career games played while posting a .760 save percentage. She recorded nine of those shutouts in her sophomore season in 2023, setting a school record, and she earned All-Pac-12 Second Team honors after being named to the Third Team and All-Freshman Team the previous year.

The Riveters continue to build out their roster for the USL W League season beginning this May with home games at Highmark Stadium on the South Shore. Season tickets are available by visiting riveterssc.com/ticket-info or by calling the Highmark Stadium Box Office at 412-865-GOAL.

PITTSBURGH (Dec. 23, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has added another player to its ranks just ahead of the holidays with the addition of Xavier University freshman midfielder Kate Friday.

Friday, 19, is a former player for the Riverhounds Development Academy and Fox Chapel High School. Her addition is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval once registration opens for the 2025 season.

“We are delighted to welcome Kate back to the club. She is a player that has had to work hard through her developmental years in the RDA, and she is now flourishing,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “She played exceptionally well at the Invitational Combine, and she has all the characteristics both on and off the field that will help our culture and locker room.”

Friday appeared in eight matches during her first season for Xavier, and her Musketeers team racked up 15 wins overall and reached the Big East Conference Final before losing in overtime to UConn.

Prior to Xavier, Friday spent eight years in the RDA and played on the club’s 2005 Elite Clubs National League team, and she was also a two-time all-WPIAL selection playing for Fox Chapel. Friday is the seventh player total confirmed for the Riveters’ debut season in the USL W League, and the first one to be newly confirmed after taking part in the team’s first Invitational Combine last week at AHN Montour. 

Gibson and his staff continue to assemble the 2025 team for a highly anticipated May start to the season, and season tickets can be secured now by visiting riveterssc.com or by calling the Highmark Stadium Box Office at (412) 865-GOAL.

PITTSBURGH (Dec. 18, 2024) — The Pittsburgh Riveters SC roster continues to grow with the addition of University of Pittsburgh sophomore and Riverhounds Academy alumna Lucia Wells for the upcoming season.

Wells, 19, is the fourth Pittsburgh-raised player to join on for the Riveters’ inaugural 2025 season and the first from an area college, having just completed her second season for Pitt. Her addition is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval once registration opens for the 2025 season.

“Lucia is a player who will provide pace, an ability to drive at players 1v1 and a fantastic work ethic. As an RDA Alum, she knows what it means to represent the club, and we look forward to welcoming her back,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said.

Wells is a versatile addition to the Riveters’ roster, and she is coming off a year when she found a spot as the starting wing back for the Panthers this year. That came after she was originally recruited as a forward, the position she played when she twice earned all-state honors and set the career scoring record at nearby North Allegheny High School.

In her two seasons at Pitt, Wells has appeared in 35 games, earning her first 14 starts last season. She also scored her first career goal this season in the Panthers’ 2-1 win over Duquesne that was played at her home-to-be with the Riveters, Highmark Stadium.

For more on the Riveters, including all the preseason team news, visit the team’s website at riveterssc.com, and follow them on social media at @RivetersSC on all platforms.

PITTSBURGH (Dec. 11, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has added another hometown player for its first season with the addition of defender Bella Vozar, a sophomore at American University.

Vozar, 19, is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School in Pittsburgh’s South Hills and a former Riverhounds Development Academy player. Her addition is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval once registration opens for the 2025 season.

“Bella is a player who we are very familiar with, as she was in the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Development Academy for more than eight years. Bella was the team captain for her ECNL team, and she has all of the leadership skills that make her a great addition to the Riveters,” head coach Scott Gibson said. “She is technically excellent, a ferocious competitor, and a very good defender. We look forward to welcoming her back into the organization.”

In her second year with the Eagles, Vozar started all 15 matches and scored a pair of goals from her spot on the back line. The second of those goals came in a 2-2 draw with eventual conference champion Boston University, and the performance earned her Patriot League Defender of the Week honors. She also started all but two matches in her freshman year with the Eagles.

Prior to her seasons in D.C., Vozar excelled with the Hounds Academy’s 2005 ECNL team, while also being a two-time All-WPIAL selection for Thomas Jefferson.

The Riveters now have five players committed and announced for their first season in the USL W League, which will begin in May 2025. To follow all the Riveters preseason news, visit the team’s website at riveterssc.com and follow them on social media at @RivetersSC on all platforms.

PITTSBURGH (Dec. 9, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has secured another player for their 2025 debut season with the addition of Tanum Nelson, a junior midfielder from Cornell University. Nelson’s roster spot is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval once registration opens for the 2025 USL W League season.

Nelson, 20, started 13 of 15 matches in the middle of the park, recording one goal and one assist for the Big Red. The athletic midfielder has been a regular since arriving as a freshman at the Ivy League school, appearing in 42 of 47 matches in three seasons at Cornell.

“Tanum has tremendous quality on the ball and is a constant threat in the attacking third. She is a very athletic and hardworking player, and she will bring the right character and mindset to the team,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said.

Hailing from Duxbury, Vt., Nelson was the 2021-22 Gatorade Vermont Girls Soccer Player of the Year, an All-New England Team selection and a United Soccer Coaches All-American. She was also a standout as a club player for Massachusetts-based FC Stars in the Elite Clubs National League.

Nelson is now the fourth player announced for the Riveters’ upcoming season, joining North Carolina’s Tessa Dellarose and Indiana’s Piper Coffield and Kennedy Neighbors. The technical staff will continue to fill out the roster with top players nationally and through the team’s tryouts, which began last Friday with the first-ever Riveters Open Combine.

For more Riveters news, visit the team’s website at riveterssc.com, where you can sign up for the team newsletter, and follow them on social media at @RivetersSC on all platforms.