Press Releases

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.

PITTSBURGH (Dec. 4, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has its third player committed for its inaugural season with the addition of Indiana University sophomore midfielder Kennedy Neighbors.

Neighbors, 20, joins Hoosiers teammate Piper Coffield and North Carolina’s Tessa Dellarose with the Riveters, as the roster begins to come together for the team’s USL W League debut in May 2025. Neighbors’ roster spot is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval once registration opens for the 2025 season.

A fixture in the midfield last season for the Hoosiers, starting 15 of 17 matches, Neighbors scored three goals, including the only strike in a season-opening win over Tennessee. She also appeared in 17 of 20 matches as a freshman, starting six and recording one assist in her first year.

“Kennedy is a very hardworking crafty player and we are excited to see her make an impact with the Riveters,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “She is very dangerous in the final third, and is fearless in taking players on in 1v1 situations. Kennedy also has the right character and attitude that we are looking for as we shape out the team.”

A native of Evansville, Ind., Neighbors played at the club level for Indiana Fire in the Elite Clubs National League, where she played against the Riverhounds Development Academy and earned All-Conference First Team honors in the ECNL’s Ohio Valley Conference. She was also a two-time Indiana state champion playing for Reitz Memorial High School in 2021 and 2022.

The Riveters will continue working to assemble their inaugural roster — including holding open tryouts this Friday at the AHN Montour Sports Complex — as the team builds toward the start of preseason in April.

PITTSBURGH (Nov. 20, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has secured another top commitment to grow the roster for its inaugural season with Indiana University defender Piper Coffield set to suit up for the team in 2025.

Coffield, 19, just completed her sophomore season for the Hoosiers, starting all but one of the team’s 17 matches. An All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection in 2023, she played the second-most minutes of any Hoosiers field player in 2024.

A graduate of Mars Area High School, where she was part of the Planets’ three consecutive PIAA championships from 2019-21, Coffield also starred for the Riverhounds Development Academy’s ECNL team, earning ECNL All-Ohio Valley Conference honors. Now, with the upcoming USL W League season, the Big Ten veteran will return to her old home field.

“I can’t wait to join the Riveters! I’m honored to come back and play in my hometown and be a part of the inaugural season,” Coffield said.

Coffield and the Hoosiers reached the NCAA Tournament in her freshman season, when she started every match as a first-year player and her team posted an undefeated home record of 8-0-3. In addition to her defensive prowess, Coffield has five goals and two assists in two seasons with Indiana, which includes a perfect 4-for-4 conversion rate on penalty kicks.

“We are very familiar with Piper as player and person as a graduate of the Riverhounds Development Academy. She is an excellent player and has the character and leadership skills that we want in the locker room,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said. “Piper knows what it means to represent the City of Pittsburgh, and we look forward to working with her as a Riveter.”

Coffield is the second player committed for the Riveters, joining University of North Carolina standout and fellow RDA alumna Tessa Dellarose. Her roster spot is pending USL and U.S. Soccer approval once registration opens for the 2025 season.

The Riveters will kick off play in May 2025 when the new USL W League season begins. For information on the upcoming Riveters SC season, including news on tryouts, committed players and ticket info, visit www.riveterssc.com or follow the team on social media at @RivetersSC.

PITTSBURGH (Nov. 12, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has hired Reaghan Duval as the team’s goalkeeper coach, making her the first addition to head coach Scott Gibson’s staff for the inaugural 2025 season in the USL W League.

A native of Waxhaw, N.C., Duval currently serves as the assistant coach for the women’s soccer team at Robert Morris University and also coaches in the Riverhounds Development Academy (RDA). She will continue in those positions along with her role for the Riveters, which will include both goalkeeper training and additional assistant coaching duties for the team.

“We are delighted to welcome Reaghan onto the coaching staff for the inaugural Riveters season,” Gibson said. “We are very familiar with Reaghan due to her current role working with goalkeepers in the RDA. Reaghan brings experience and professionalism, and she is a perfect fit to lead the goalkeeper department for the Riveters.”

Prior to Robert Morris, Duval was an assistant coach at Lenior-Rhyne University in 2023, were she was part of the United Soccer Coaches Southeast Regional Staff of the Year. The Bears won the South Atlantic Conference and reached the NCAA quarterfinals, posting 14 shutouts and a cumulative 0.81 goals-against average. She also coached in the W League as a goalkeeper and assistant coach with the Greenville Liberty, the team she previously competed for as a player.

“Working for the RDA these last few months has been tremendous. As soon as I heard the club was going to be getting a USL W League team, I knew that I wanted to be part of the inaugural season bringing high-level women’s soccer to Pittsburgh,” Duval said. “I want to thank (Sporting Director) Dan Visser, Scott Gibson and (Director of Goalkeeping) Jon Busch for giving me this opportunity to be on staff with the Riveters. This team is going to be something special, and I cannot wait for everyone to see what is in store for next summer!”

As a college player, Duval spent four years at Campbell University in her home state, winning the Big South Tournament in Spring 2021 and a Big South regular-season title in the fall 2021 season. She wrapped up her career playing a final season a D’Youville University in New York, where she was named a USCAA Second-Team All-American.

Duval has also coached at the youth level in the Olympic Development Program and with FC Carolinas. She currently holds an Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma from United Soccer Coaches and is working toward attaining her USSF “D” Coaching License.

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 7, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC will hold its first open combine from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 at the AHN Montour Sports Complex in Coraopolis.

The combine is open to women age 18 or older who wish to try out to be part of Pittsburgh’s newest soccer team, which begins play in the USL W League in May 2025. Head coach Scott Gibson, sporting director Dan Visser and additional Riveters staff will evaluate players during the combine and provide feedback. Players selected from the combine could be called back to a future invitational tryout at a later date or offered a roster spot on the team for 2025.

Registration for the combine is now open. The cost to participate is $125 per player, but a special early bird rate of $100 is offered to players who sign up before Nov. 29. College or high-level youth soccer experience is highly recommended, though not required.

To register for the combine, please use the button below. For any questions about the combine or registration, email Dan Visser or Scott Gibson.

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 2, 2024) — Pittsburgh Riveters SC has its first player committed to join the club for its inaugural season, University of North Carolina junior and United States youth international outside back Tessa Dellarose.

Dellarose, 20, is currently in-season with the Tar Heels. She is a graduate of nearby Brownsville High School and the Riverhounds Development Academy, and now she is slated to return to Pittsburgh for the upcoming USL W League season. Her roster spot is pending W League and U.S. Soccer approval after registration opens for the 2025 season.

“I am extremely excited to be back in Pittsburgh representing the city and the Riveters in their inaugural season,” Dellarose said. “It is an exciting team for women’s sports in Pittsburgh, and I am honored to be a part of the expansion. This city means so much to me and my career, so to have the opportunity to help jumpstart the USL W campaign is amazing. I want to thank Pittsburgh and the Riveters organization for all their support, and I can’t wait to get started!”

A decorated player since her time with the Riverhounds Academy, Dellarose made an impact immediately in her first year at UNC, earning All-ACC Third Team and ACC All-Freshman Team honors. She played in every match as a sophomore and has started every match of UNC’s 11-1 start to this season.

Away from her college team, Dellarose also has made eight appearances for the U.S. Under-20 National Team, including every match of the team’s run to the final of the 2023 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship. She also turned heads last summer in The Soccer Tournament, earning Most Valuable Player honors and scoring the winning goal in the final for the team US Women, playing alongside retired U.S. National Team players such as Ali Krieger and Heather O’Reilly in the ESPN-televised event.

“We are delighted to welcome Tessa back to Pittsburgh. There is not a better person or player to build the Riveters team culture around, as she is a fearless leader, competitor and role model,” Riveters SC head coach Scott Gibson said. “As an RDA alum, Tessa understands the expectations that we have, and she shares in our goals and vision for the future. Her current experience at UNC, coupled with her success at the US National Team level, makes her the type of person and player that we want in our building.”

The Riveters will kick off play in May 2025 when the new USL W League season begins. More information on the upcoming Riveters SC season, including news on tryouts, committed players and ticket info, will be available in the coming weeks.

To learn more, visit www.riveterssc.com or follow the team on social media at @RivetersSC.