Team Announcements

PITTSBURGH and TAMPA, Fla. (June 12, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC defender Bella Vozar was selected to one of the bench spots for the USL W League Team of the Month for May, the league announced this afternoon.

The first Riveters player ever to earn a league-wide honor, Vozar made the best 18 selected from 93 W League teams nationwide. She is also the only player from the Great Forest Division selected to May’s team.

Vozar has started every match this season for the Riveters at right back, playing 582 of a possible 630 minutes to this point, and her play has helped the Riveters to a 4-1-2 record that puts them atop the division. The Riveters have posted three shutouts this season and have allowed only seven goals, which is tied for the fewest in the division.

A Pittsburgh native and rising junior at American University, Vozar is also a product of the Riverhounds Development Academy and a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School in Pittsburgh’s South Hills.

To see the complete USL W League Team of the Month for May, visit uslwleague.com.

PITTSBURGH (May 15, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC will begin its first-ever season this week with three final players with local roots added to the active roster, Syracuse University midfielder Mackenzie Dupre, Syracuse University defender Aleena Ulke and Coastal Carolina University goalkeeper Aris Lamanna.

Dupre, 21, is a rising senior for the Orange and has appeared in 23 matches for Syracuse after transferring to the ACC school following her freshman season at Towson. Prior to college, the midfielder was a standout player for Upper St. Clair High School and played for Internationals SC in the Elite Clubs National League.

“We are pleased to welcome Mackenzie back to the organization. Mackenzie is a very hard-working player, very solid technically, and strikes a ball very well. She will provide even more depth to our midfield department throughout the course of a very busy season,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said.

Ulke, 20, saw limited action in her first season with the Orange, and an injury suffered before her sophomore season prevented her from building on that initial campaign. A star at perennially strong Moon Area High School, Ulke also played in the Riverhounds Development Academy and received multiple ECNL Ohio Valley Conference honors, including Defender of the Year in 2019. 

“Aleena has a positive energy and mindset that is contagious. After suffering some serious injury setbacks over the last few years, Aleena has continued to work as hard as she can to work herself back to full fitness. We are proud of her journey and she will bring more defensive quality and tenacity to our group,” Gibson said.

Lamanna, 19, appeared in 13 matches, starting eight, in her first year with Coastal Carolina in 2024. The goalkeeper also recorded a pair of shutouts for the Chanticleers. A product of Franklin Regional High School, where she was a 2023 all-state and three time all-WPIAL selection, Lamanna also played her youth soccer in the ECNL with the Riverhounds Development Academy.

“We are pleased to add Aris to our goalkeeper department. We are very familiar with Aris as a player in our Academy, and she has gone onto have a very good freshman year at Coastal Carolina,” Gibson said. “She is a commanding goalkeeper who is a very good shot stopper and works hard at her game each day. We are excited to see how she further develops this Summer.”

The Riveters take the field for the first time at 7 p.m. Friday when they host the Cleveland Force at Highmark Stadium in the USL W League opener for both teams. Limited tickets remain for the opener at Ticketmaster and through the Highmark Stadium Box Office.

PITTSBURGH (May 2, 2025) — Another trio of homegrown talents will be added to the inaugural Pittsburgh Riveters roster with the addition of Duquesne University midfielder Jayden Sharpless, University of Cincinnati forward Ashlyn Basinger and Bowling Green University midfielder Minah Syam.

The three players all hail from WPIAL schools and played their club soccer for the Riverhounds Development Academy, making their addition to the Riveters a homecoming to Highmark Stadium.

Sharpless, 21, has started all 37 matches for Duquesne since transferring after her freshman year with Georgia State. Last season, the Dukes posted a 9-7-1 record for their first winning season since 2017.

Prior to college, Sharpless was an all-state player for North Catholic High School, winning two WPIAL titles and helping her team reach the PIAA state finals. 

“Jayden is a very experienced central midfield player and is having a very good college career at Duquesne,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “She will bring intelligence on the field to our group and is very comfortable in possession of the ball. Jayden is also very dangerous from set pieces and has an excellent range of passing. Jayden will bring a lot of depth and experience to our midfield.”

Basinger, 20, just completed her first season with Cincinnati as a sophomore after spending her freshman season with Maryland. She appeared in nine matches and recorded her first career assist in a Big 12 win over Houston.

Originally from Waynesburg, Basinger was a two-time All-WPIAL selection for Waynesburg Central High School one of the WPIAL’s top scorers in her senior season of 2022.

“Ashlyn is a very quick and direct player and will add even more depth and speed to our attack. She likes to take players on 1v1, is technically very good and is a hard-working team player. We are looking forward to working with Ashlyn again this summer,” Gibson said.

Syam, 19, missed her freshman season with Bowling Green last fall due to an injury suffered before the season. An All-WPIAL player for Avonworth High School, she won three consecutive WPIAL titles and twice reached the state final with the Antelopes.

“Minah was a part of the Riverhounds Academy nearly her whole life before moving on to college, so we know exactly the type of player and person we are bringing onto the roster,” Gibson said. “Minah is an absolute competitor, leader and excellent all-around player. She leads by example and makes everyone around her better both on and off the field. We are delighted to have Minah back and can’t wait to see her on the field.”

Opening night for the Riveters is just two weeks away, when the team hosts the Cleveland Force at 7 p.m. Friday, May 16 at Highmark Stadium. Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster and at the Highmark Stadium Box Office.

PITTSBURGH (April 24, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters’ SC has nearly completed the roster for its debut 2025 season with the addition of three more talented Division I players: Olivia Damico from Penn State, Abi Hugh from N.C. State and Sydney Ritter from West Virginia.

Damico, 23, is a midfielder who just completed her career with the Nittany Lions, capping her time there by helping Penn State reach back-to-back NCAA quarterfinals in 2023 and ’24. Originally from Victor, N.Y., Damico finished her senior season with a goal and five assists while appearing in every match for the Nittany Lions, starting 13 of them.

“Olivia is a very smart right-sided player and having played in the NCAA Elite 8 twice and experiencing winning a Big Ten Championship in her time at Penn State will offer quality right away to our team,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “She is extremely hard working, very good on both the attacking and defensive side of the ball and a leader as a former captain at Penn State. We are excited to welcome Olivia to Pittsburgh and can’t wait to see the impact that she will have on the group.”

Hugh, 22, is also a midfielder who played as a graduate transfer for N.C. State after beginning her career at Marshall in her hometown of Huntington, W.Va. She appeared in every match last season for the Wolfpack after starting 60 of 62 in four years with Marshall, and across both schools, Hugh accounted 11 goals and 10 assists.

“Abi has had an excellent collegiate career at Marshall and N.C. State, and we are delighted to welcome her to Pittsburgh. She is a very talented left-sided player who has tremendous work rate, great positional sense and is excellent technically. She will add immediate value to our team this summer and will bring experience to the group as a former captain at Marshall,” Gibson said.

Ritter, 20, just completed her redshirt freshman season with West Virginia after transferring from Auburn. A forward who hails from Berlin, N.J., Ritter appeared in eight matches during her first season with the Mountaineers, who went 12-5-3 and reached the NCAA Tournament before being eliminated on penalty kicks by No. 5 Kentucky.

“Sydney will offer tremendous power, pace, and athleticism to the team. As a player that has played most her career as an attacking player, she recently has featured for WVU as an outside back. She is very good in 1v1 moments both with the ball and without it, and she will bring versatility and quickness. We are excited to welcome Sydney to the group.”

The Riveters are less than four weeks away from taking the field for the first time, when they host the Cleveland Force on Friday, May 16 at Highmark Stadium. Riveters tickets are available now through Ticketmaster and at the Highmark Stadium Box Office.

PITTSBURGH (April 18, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has locked up another pair of Division I players for the team’s upcoming debut season, adding University of Virginia midfielder Annamarie Williams and University of Southern Mississippi winger Ishpreen Marwah.

Williams, 19, is a native of Natrona Heights, Pa., and a graduate of Highlands High School. She appeared in nine matches in her freshman season last fall for the Cavaliers, who advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to college, Williams was a three-time all-conference selection playing for Cleveland-based Internationals SC in the Elite Clubs National League, and she also captained the U.S. Youth National Futsal Team as a young player. 

“We are very familiar with Annamarie as a player and the qualities she will bring to the group. She has an excellent soccer IQ, is technically excellent and understands the positional and spacing requirements needed of a central midfield player,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “She had great team and personal success in the ECNL with the Internationals, and we are excited to welcome her back to Pittsburgh as a Riveter.”

Marwah, 19, hails from Tampa, Fla. and just completed her second season with Southern Miss. As a sophomore, she started all 15 matches for the Golden Eagles after appearing in 12 games as a freshman.

A player with excellent speed, Marwah is capable of playing as an attacking winger or an outside back. Marwah played for Florida Premier FC in the ECNL as a youth player, and she also was a 2005 Girls Olympic Development Program National Team player as a high school senior.

“Ishpreen is a very dynamic and versatile player. She will bring excellent explosive speed and is very talented in 1v1 situations both on the attacking and defensive side of the ball,” Gibson said. “She is very comfortable in driving forward with the ball at her feet and is extremely creative in the final third. We are excited to welcome Ishpreen to Pittsburgh.”

Both players’ roster spots are pending USL W League and U.S. Soccer approval.

The Riveters will round out their roster in the coming weeks before kicking off preseason training in early May. The new team’s season opener is less than one month away, as the action begins Friday, May 16 against Cleveland Force at Highmark Stadium. 

PITTSBURGH (April 10, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has added a pair of young players with plenty of potential to their inaugural roster with the addition of forward Lilly Bane and defender Natalia DiSora.

Both players are currently in the Riverhounds Development Academy (RDA) and have committed to major NCAA Division I programs — Bane to Purdue and DiSora to Wake Forest — and now they will be able to add USL W League experience to their resumés before college.

“As we have built out the roster, it’s great to see the pathway that the Riveters now provides for players at different stages of their careers that wasn’t previously there,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “We have a very good mix of players who are either graduates or still in the RDA, players who came from other clubs in Pittsburgh and players who are from all over the country and world who see Pittsburgh as a destination to come and play.”

Bane, 17, is a senior at Canon-McMillan High School and was an all-WPIAL selection while helping the Big Macs to the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. She joined the RDA this school year and plays on the club’s 2006/07 team in the Elite Clubs National League.

“Lilly joined the Academy recently and has improved immensely in such a short period of time. She is very good technically, has an excellent left foot and is a constant goal threat. She will bring an energy to the team in both training and games, and we believe this opportunity with the Riveters will take her game to the next level,” Gibson said.

DiSora, 17, is a junior at Upper St. Clair High School, and her play for the Panthers made her the lone underclass player to earn all-state honors as a defender in 2024. With the 06/07 RDA team, she was also selected to represent the club in the National Selection Game at the ECNL Florida showcase last January.

“Natalia is the ultimate competitor. She is an excellent 1v1 defender and has great strength, power and speed in her play,” Gibson said. “She is fearless in the way she can escape pressure with the ball and is a handful to play against. Natalia is a very versatile player and can play anywhere along the back line and midfield. We are excited to see how she will do with the Riveters this year.”

The Riveters are little more than a month from their opening match May 16 against the Cleveland Force at Highmark Stadium. Tickets are on sale now for all of the Riveters home games at riveterssc.com/tickets or by calling the Highmark Stadium Box Office at 412-865-GOAL.

PITTSBURGH (April 2, 2025) — A pair of players with international roots and local college ties are joining the Pittsburgh Riveters for their inaugural season with the addition of forward Holly Pascoe and defender Gillianne Stewardson.

Both players came through the Riveters’ open tryout process that began last December, progressing from that first stage to the team’s invitational tryout and onto the 2025 roster, pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval. 

“The open tryouts in December were a way to provide an opportunity to players locally to come and earn a roster spot on the team. That tryout was the beginning of a long journey and both Holly and Gillianne caught the eye of our staff right away,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said.

Pascoe, 26, is a native of Christchurch, New Zealand, who wrapped up her college career with two outstanding seasons at Point Park University. The River States Conference Player of the Year in 2023 and a two-time First Team All-RSC selection, Pascoe scored 30 goals and had 13 assists in two seasons for the Pioneers while playing as a graduate student.

Prior to Point Park, Pascoe began her career at Division II Mississippi College. Though injury interrupted her time with the Choctaws, the team reached the NCAA Tournament four times during Pascoe’s stay, and she closed out her tenure with a five-goal, seven-assist season in 2021.

“Holly is an extremely hard-working center forward who showed an eye for goal, good pace and a hunger to lead the line. Her off-the-ball defending and pressing are the traits that we look for in our players, and she will give the group nothing but 100 percent effort in each training session and game,” Gibson said.

Stewardson, 20, hails from Campbell River, British Columbia, and she just completed her junior season at Point Park, where she has helped lead the team in its transition from the NAIA ranks to NCAA Division II play.

A mainstay for the Pioneers, Stewardson has started 54 of 55 matches over her three years, leading the team in minutes played for the past two. Primarily a defensive presence, Stewardson added a pair of goals for Point Park in its first season in Division II. She has also suited up for semi-pro club Harbourside FC of League1 BC in her native Canada.

“Gillianne impressed us at the tryouts as a center back and instantly showed great leadership qualities. She is very intelligent as a player, good in the air and very comfortable in possession of the ball. Gillianne also showed her strength in 1v1 battles and will provide us with excellent covering speed in our defensive unit,” Gibson said.

The Riveters start their USL W League season Friday, May 16, when they host the Cleveland Force at Highmark Stadium. Season tickets are on sale now, and single-game tickets go on sale this Thursday at riveterssc.com/tickets.

PITTSBURGH (March 28, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has another young, local talent secured for 2025 with the addition of forward Robin Reilly for the club’s debut USL W League season.

Reilly, 18, is an early enrollee at West Virginia University and former Riverhounds Development Academy player, who also starred at Latrobe High School. Her roster spot is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval.

Reilly joined the Mountaineers this January ahead of her freshman season coming this fall. Last fall, she wrapped up her high school career at Latrobe as the school’s all-time leading scorer with a pair of all-state honors and three All-WPIAL selections to her credit.

As a youth player, Reilly began in the Riverhounds’ Connellsville-based RDA East program before jumping to the club’s Elite Clubs National League team. She was a two-time ECNL All-Ohio Valley Conference selection and twice was named to the Olympic Development Program National Team in 2022 and ’23.

“Robin is a player that epitomizes the pathway of our Academy. As a young player starting in our RDA Connellsville location, she then excelled in our RDA City ECNL platform. To now have her complete that journey with the Riveters is something that will give all our players in the Academy something to aspire towards,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “Robin is an excellent forward player who is very good in 1v1 situations, and she will provide energy and a youthfulness to the team.”

The Riveters kick off their inaugural campaign May 16 when they host Cleveland Force FC at Highmark Stadium. Season tickets are on sale through riveterssc.com, and single-game tickets go on sale to the general public Thursday, April 3.

PITTSBURGH (March 21, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has added to its roster with a trio of homegrown players for the 2025 season, bringing home midfielder Ella Bulava and defenders Reagan Casper and Eliana Davin.

All three players were teammates as youth players the Riverhounds Development Academy, and all are returning to Pittsburgh from schools in the D.C. metro area — Bulava at Maryland, Casper at Maryland-Baltimore County and Davin at George Mason. As youth players, Bulava, Casper and Davin combined to help guide an RDA team that twice reached the ECNL Playoffs and advanced to the semifinals of the ECNL North American Cup in 2021.

Their places are pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval once 2025 registration opens, and bring the total roster for the Riveters to 21.

Bulava, 19, just completed her first season with the Terrapins, appearing in two matches, which allows her to take a redshirt and maintain four remaining years of eligibility. She arrived at Maryland rated as a top-10 recruit out of Pennsylvania after earning First Team All-State honors for Latrobe High School in 2022.

“Ella will bring us a wealth of versatility positionally and a work rate of the highest standard. She is excellent technically and will bring pace, power and competitiveness to the team. We are happy to welcome Ella back to the club, and her character and leadership are exactly what we want in the locker room,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said.

Casper, 20, has featured regularly on the back line for UMBC, appearing in 25 matches with six starts during her first two seasons with the Retrievers. A Norwin High School product, Casper was an All-WPIAL selection for the Knights.

“Reagan is a very strong left sided defender and will add tremendous depth to our defensive side of the ball,” Gibson said. “She is very strong in 1v1 duels, excellent in the tackle and comfortable with the ball at her feet. Reagan is someone that you want to go into battle with on the field, and those qualities are valuable to our group of players”

Davin, 20, joined the team at George Mason in 2023, appearing in 15 matches as a freshman with the Patriots before missing time and taking a redshirt year as a sophomore last fall. She was a standout for Montour High School before making the move to northern Virginia.

“Eliana will also bring balance to our squad, as she is an excellent left sided player. Eliana can play as an outside back or wing back and likes to get forward to trigger attacks,” Gibson said. “She is very smart, technically excellent on the ball and will provide us with quality crosses from the left side of the field. She has a great character and mentality that will be great for the locker room.”

The Riveters are less than two months away from their debut in the USL W League, which will come Friday, May 16 against the Cleveland Force at Highmark Stadium. For more information, visit riveterssc.com or follow @RivetersSC on Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter.