Team Announcements

PITTSBURGH (Jan. 14, 2026) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC will have another key piece returning as Tanum Nelson, the team’s top scorer in its inaugural season, is set to return for the 2026 USL W League season.

Nelson, 21, made Riveters history a season ago by scoring the first-ever goal for the team in a May 24 road win at Flower City 1872. The midfielder would also post the first hat trick in team history June 8 against FC Buffalo at Highmark Stadium, and she would finish the year with six goals and two assists in 10 matches.

“We are delighted to bring Tanum back to Pittsburgh. She was such a key piece of our attack with her goals and assists last year, and we expect her to have a huge impact once again this season. She will bring experience and leadership, and she knows what it means to be a Riveter,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said.

For her impact in the 2025 season, Nelson was selected as the Steel Army Player of the Year, given by the independent supporters’ group of the Riverhounds and Riveters.

A senior at Cornell University, Nelson was one of the captains for the Big Red in 2025 and one of five players to log more than 1,000 minutes. Playing in the center of the park, the Vermont native had one goal last fall for the Ivy League side.

With Nelson’s return to Pittsburgh joining other confirmed players for 2026, the Riveters will be bringing back more than half of their scoring from the team that had the Great Forest Division’s most potent attack at 2.4 goals per match.

The Riveters will kick off the 2026 season this May; to keep up to date on the latest team news, visit riveterssc.com and follow the team on social media at @RivetersSC on all platforms.

PITTSBURGH (Jan. 8, 2026) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has secured another new duo with the additions of midfielder Emme Butera and defender Gabby Lamparty, both juniors at Bowling Green University, for the 2026 season.

Butera and Lamparty, both 20, held down the middle of the field last fall for Bowling Green, with both players starting all 22 games and Butera leading the team with five assists, as the Falcons went all the way to the Mid-Atlantic Conference Final. Both players’ performances last year earned them spots on the All-MAC First Team, combining defensively in each of the team’s nine clean sheets. 

“Emme and Gabby are both excellent players that will immediately add quality to our group. We are familiar with both players throughout their ECNL youth years at the Cleveland Internationals and are happy to bring them to Pittsburgh,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “Gabby is a very strong defender and will add another piece to our backline as we look to solidify that unit. Emme is a very clever midfield player, and we are very familiar with her qualities after competing against her this past summer.”

Lamparty comes from Canfield, Ohio and led Bowling Green field players in minutes played, two ahead of Butera, in her first year after transferring from West Virginia. She also finished second on the team in scoring, as the defender notched three goals and three assists, totaling nine points, and was named MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28.

Butera, from Willoughby Hills, Ohio, is a two-time All-MAC honoree after being named to the second team as a sophomore, and she has not missed a match in three college seasons. She also started for the Cleveland Force against the Riveters last season in the Riveters’ first-ever match, on her way to a team-leading 712 minutes for the Force, the Great Forest Division runner-up.

The duo will join a pair of their Bowling Green teammates with the Riveters, recent addition Taylor Green and Minah Syam, who is entering her second season with the Riveters.

The Riveters will be back on the field this May in the USL W League as the team returns to defend their title as division champions. Reserve your season tickets now by visiting riveterssc.com or by calling the Highmark Stadium Box Office at 412-865-GOAL.

PITTSBURGH (Jan. 6, 2026) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC is bringing another talented defender to the fold with the addition of Zoe Cuneio for the 2026 USL W League season.

Cuneio, 20, recently transferred to TCU after playing her first three seasons of college soccer at Purdue University. She was a fixture along the Boilermakers’ back line during her tenure there, appearing in 53 of 55 matches and starting every one of those 53.

“We are delighted to welcome Zoe to Pittsburgh this summer. Zoe brings a lot of experience from the highest levels of the game and is exactly the type of defender we were looking to add,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “She had a fantastic youth career in addition to playing over 50 games at Purdue. She will also be joining a Final Four program at TCU and is the caliber of player and person we are glad to have as a Riveter.”

Hailing from Wildwood, Mo., Cuneio added two goals and three assists from the back line as she helped Purdue improve from a three-win team her freshman season to winning 13 matches over the next two. Last season, she also was a teammate at Purdue with freshman and returning Riveters forward Lilly Bane. Cuneio brings USL W League experience from a pair of division-winning sides, Indy Eleven in 2024 and FC Olympia in 2025.

Prior to college as a standout player for ECNL club St. Louis Scott Gallagher, Cuneio was invited into camp with the U.S. Youth National Team at the Under-15 level and the U.S. Women’s National Team in the Under-17 age group.

The Riveters are gearing up for their second season in the USL W League, set to begin this May. Fans can follow along with all the latest team news at riveterssc.com or by following @RivetersSC on social media.

PITTSBURGH (Dec. 29, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC welcomes another new player to the fold with the addition of Bowling Green University defender Taylor Green for the 2026 season.

Green, 20, was the captain for the Falcons last year in her junior season as the team amassed a 10-3-9 record and reached the Mid-American Conference Final before falling 1-0 to Western Michigan.

“Taylor will bring excellent leadership qualities to the group. She has experience playing in the league and is a very strong and powerful defender. Taylor is also very comfortable in possession of the ball and will make an immediate impact to the team,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “We are happy to welcome Taylor to Pittsburgh, as she is the exact type of character and player we are looking for.”

Hailing from Plainfield, Ill., Green has been an integral part of the Bowling Green team since her arrival, playing 51 matches and starting 47 of those. 

The Falcons reached the conference final for the first time since 2021 with Green anchoring the defense, and they recorded nine clean sheets in 22 matches in 2025. For her efforts, Green was named to the All-MAC Tournament team, as the one goal conceded in the final was the only one allowed by Bowling Green in the tournament.

She also competed in the USL W League last season, helping Aurora, Ill. team River Light SC to a 7-4-1 record and third-place finish in the Heartland Division, which was won by eventual Riveters’ playoff opponent Minnesota Aurora.

By joining the Riveters, Green will stick together in the summer with Bowling Green teammate Minah Syam, a redshirt freshman starter for the Falcons and a member of the inaugural Riveters squad.

The Riveters will be back in action this May in the USL W League, and season tickets already are on sale. To lock in seats, visit riveterssc.com or call the Highmark Stadium Box Office at 412-865-GOAL.

PITTSBURGH (Dec. 11, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC will be welcoming back three more players to the squad for 2026 with forward/midfielder Kennedy Neighbors, defender Sydney Lindeman and midfielder Sierra Dupre confirming their returns for the upcoming USL W League season.

“We are delighted to welcome back all three of the players,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said.

“Kennedy is a very powerful, hardworking and quality attacking player who will bring her experience from last season and Indiana back for 2026. Sydney will once again provide us with versatility and leadership, and she is a big-game player. Sierra will be like a new signing for the Riveters, and she brings exceptional talent to the team having graduated through the RDA, her experience with U.S. Youth National Teams and her commitment to Clemson.”

Neighbors, 21, just completed her junior seaosn for Indiana University, where she is a teammate of fellow Riveter Piper Coffield. The Indiana native was part of the opening day lineup for the Riveters and started all seven matches she appeared in a season ago, recording a goal and an assist during 2025.

Lindeman, 22, is a two-year starter at Towson University, where she just completed her redshirt junior season. The outside back from Murrysville, Pa. native appeared in six matches for the Riveters and scored one of the year’s most memorable goals, netting the equalizer in the regular-season finale against Steel City FC with a driven ball from 30 yards away that picked out the bottom corner of the net.

Dupre, 17, trained with the Riveters a season ago but did not play as she recovered from a knee injury. The Upper St. Clair High School senior and Riverhounds Academy player is a U.S. youth international, appearing at both the U-15 and U-16 levels prior to her injury, and she is committed to play at Clemson University beginning next fall.

The Riveters roster for 2026 will continue to be shaped in the coming months with new and returning players, as the team gears up to build on its Great Forest Division title and W League Playoffs berth in its first year. Fans can already place their season ticket deposits for the 2026 season by visiting riveterssc.com or by calling the Highmark Stadium Box Office at 412-865-GOAL.

PITTSBURGH (Nov. 19, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has its first new player for the 2026 season, having secured a commitment from St. Joseph’s University junior forward Emily Hanrahan.

Hanrahan, 20, has been the Hawks’ leading scorer each of the past two seasons. She finished with seven goals in 2024, as St. Joseph’s reached the Atlantic 10 semifinals, and she added five goals and two assists this past fall.

During her time at the Philadelphia school, she was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team as a freshman, and she began the 2025 campaign being named A-10 Offensive Player of the Week after posting two goals and an assist in late-August wins over Rider and Towson. 

A native of Elmira, N.Y., Hanrahan battled against the Riveters last season while playing for Flower City 1872. She netted a pair of goals for the Rochester, N.Y. side in 2025 while appearing in all 10 W League matches, starting nine of them.

“We are delighted to welcome Emily to Pittsburgh for the 2026 season. We are very familiar with her as a player after scouting Flower City last season and think she will add a lot of quality to the group,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “She is a very hard working forward who will cause problems for anyone she plays against. Emily has an eye for goal, which meant we had to be very mindful of her last season, so we are now pleased she will be on our side.”

With their newest addition, the Riveters are up to 12 players announced for the upcoming season. More players will be announced in the coming weeks, and places will be up for grabs when the team holds its first open tryout for the new season next Saturday, Nov. 29.

Keep up with all the latest news at riveterssc.com and by following @RivetersSC on social media.

PITTSBURGH (Nov. 12, 2025) — The Pittsburgh Riveters’ 2026 roster continues to take shape with the addition of three more returning players for the team’s second season: Annamarie Williams, Lilly Bane and Caitlyn Thompson.

That trio each played roles in the inaugural 2025 USL W League season and brings the total to 11 returning players announced from the reigning Great Forest Division champions.

“We are delighted to continue to strengthen our roster for the 2026 season,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “All three players are positioned to make a big impact next year.

“Annamarie was a mainstay in our midfield and really helped keep the overall balance on both sides of the ball to our play. Lilly will only continue to get better after her first season experience, and we have high hopes for her to contribute further next season. Caitlyn stepped up in the conference semifinal as a 17-year-old and showed experience beyond her years. We are extremely happy to have Caitlyn back, and we predict a much heavier role for her next season.”

Williams, 19, comes back after starting 9 of 11 matches and ranking as one of the team’s leaders in minutes for a midfield player at 592. The University of Virginia sophomore and Natrona Heights, Pa., native played a critical role as one of the team’s holding midfielders, linking a defense that allowed only nine regular-season goals to the division’s top attack.

Bane, 18, provided an attacking spark off the bench for the Riveters while appearing in six matches. The Purdue University freshman from Canonsburg, Pa., provided the assist on the Riveters’ most memorable goal of 2025, setting up Gina Proviano for the winning strike in stoppage time of the division-clinching, 2-1 win over Steel City FC.

Thompson, 17, served as a backup goalkeeper for much of the first season, but she took a starring role in the playoffs by making nine saves — the most by a Riveters goalkeeper in 2025 — in the team’s playoff loss to Minnesota Aurora FC. The South Fayette High School senior has also helped her team reach this weekend’s PIAA Championship Final in Class AAA.

The Riveters’ roster continues to take shape with more returning and new players set to be announced in the coming weeks. The team also will be filling spots through their tryout process, which begins Nov. 29 with the team’s Open Tryouts at AHN Montour in Coraopolis.

PITTSBURGH (Nov. 5, 2025) — Another quartet of returning players is locked in for the 2026 Pittsburgh Riveters SC season with Lucia Wells, Lola Abraham, Minah Syam and Kate Friday confirming they will return for the team’s second USL W League season.

All four players were a part of the Great Forest Division-winning inaugural season, and all have Pittsburgh-area roots. The four are winding down their college seasons at Division I schools, including Wells and Abraham locally with the University of Pittsburgh.

“We are delighted to welcome back four more excellent players to the Riveters for the 2026,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “The experience that Lucia, Kate and Minah got this past season will provide them with a platform to provide an even greater impact next season, while Lola will be like a new signing and will bring an immediate impact to the team. We are very familiar with the character and leadership that they will bring as each of them came through the RDA system.”

Wells, 20, is a versatile performer from Pittsburgh’s North Hills who can play attacking positions and as a wing back, both roles she filled at times in the Riveters’ first year, playing 10 of 11 matches. Wells also scored in the Riveters’ second match, a win over Flower City 1872, which made the Pitt junior both the first Pittsburgh native and first Riverhounds Academy product to score for the Riveters.

Abraham, 19, is an Oakmont native who was with the Riveters a season ago but did not appear in any matches as she trained with the team while rehabbing an injury. The Pitt sophomore forward made a healthy return to the field this Fall with the Panthers, starting every match and recording two goals and two assists.

Syam, 19, was one of the Riveters’ most frequent contributors off the bench in 2025, appearing in 9 of 11 matches. The midfielder also scored one of the season’s more memorable goals, striking late in the match to earn a critical 1-1 draw at FC Buffalo. A redshirt freshman at Bowling Green University, the Avonworth High School graduate was recently named to the Mid-American Conference’s All-Freshman team.

Friday, 19, also appeared in 9 of 11 matches in 2025, filling varying midfield roles and often entering the match to protect a lead. She just completed her sophomore college season starting every match for Florida Gulf Coast University, her first in the Sunshine State after the Fox Chapel native transferred to FGCU from Xavier University.

Gibson and the Riveters staff are continuing to assemble this year’s roster with a mix of returning and new players to be announced. The team also will bring in players for evaluation beginning with this year’s Open Tryouts on Nov. 29. For more information, visit riveterssc.com.

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 28, 2025) — Coming off the Great Forest Division title and a USL W League Playoffs appearance in its first season, Pittsburgh Riveters SC announces its first group of players returning for the 2026 season: Sabrina Bryan, Piper Coffield, Natalia DiSora and Bella Vozar.

That quartet of Pittsburgh-area natives played a major role in the Riveters’ success in the 2025 season, when the team completed its regular season with a 6-1-3 record, and their return provides both a strong on-field core and leadership off the field entering the club’s second year.

“It’s great to welcome back Sabrina, Bella, Piper and Natalia for the 2026 season. Our staff are very familiar with each of them who came through our Academy system and were a part of our inaugural season’s success,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “We now have a strong foundation of players that will return to our team and only make it stronger. All of the players are leaders, and we are excited to continue to build our culture around them.”

Bryan, 26, is the most experienced of the group, having earned All-America honors as a player at Hofstra University. The forward from Cecil, Pa., was hampered by an early season injury to start her Riveters career, but she came on strong in the second half of the season with three goals and an assist over the final five regular-season matches.

Coffield, 20, was at the heart of the Riveters’ defense during their inaugural season. The center back from Mars, Pa., played every minute in 9 of 11 matches and served as the team’s captain in five of those matches. The second player announced in team history a year ago, Coffield had her junior season at Indiana University cut short through injury but will take part in the Riveters’ season as her recovery allows.

DiSora, 18, surprised some by being an opening-day starter at center back as a high schooler, but the Upper St. Clair senior and Wake Forest University recruit showcased her ability and maturity while playing all but 90 minutes of the season. After standing out against players many years older, DiSora’s one game missed in 2025 was due to receiving a call-up to U.S. Women’s Under-18 National Team camp.

Vozar, 20, was the minutes leader (928) and the only player to appear in all 11 matches in 2025 for the Riveters. The right back also was the first Riveters player to earn USL W League Team of the Month honors when she was selected last May. A Thomas Jefferson High School grad, Vozar is in the midst of her junior season for American University, one season after being named the team’s 2024 MVP.

The Riveters will have more confirmed players for 2026 to announce in the coming weeks, and their 2026 tryout process will kick into gear with this season’s Open Tryouts on Nov. 29. For more information, visit riveterssc.com.