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‘It’s incredible:’ Pittsburgh Riveters looking toward home opener, debut

Pittsburgh Riveters debut home and away kits
Photo courtesy Pittsburgh Riveters SC

The Pittsburgh Riveters held their first-ever “Meet the Team” event ahead of their debut in the USL W-League on Wednesday. Despite the rain that dampened the new pitch at Highmark Stadium, there was an excitement in the air.

The Riveters — a pre-professional team in the USL W-League — will debut at home on Friday night, hosting Cleveland Force.

Fans gathered at Highmark Stadium to meet the team and coach Scott Gibson, along with debuting the team’s primary and secondary kits, sponsored by Breeze Airways and 84 Lumber.

But, Friday is all about the action — and the arms-wide-open welcoming of a new team at Highmark Stadium.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” Piper Coffield, midfielder from Indiana University, said. “It’s such an honor and a privilege to play with these amazing women, and represent this city. Even more than that, being an example for young girls in the community, I can’t even put it into words. I’m so proud. We’ve been training so hard for Friday and we’re ready to get going.”

Coffield — the younger sister of Ellie Coffield, a Pitt women’s soccer alum — hails from Mars, Pennsylvania. She’s not the only local talent on the roster. The team will be captained by Brownsville native Tessa Dellarose of the University of North Carolina. Dellarose was the team’s first signing.

“It’s finally here,” Dellarose said with a smile. “I’ve been waiting for it for a few months, so now that it’s here it’s awesome. We have a huge crowd and seeing everyone today shows that everyone is excited.”

The game is, at time of publish, not officially sold out, but the numbers are close. Limited tickets are still up for grabs, with the goal of a sellout not out of reach.

“It makes me feel great that this many people want to come and support the women’s game,” Lucia Wells of the University of Pittsburgh said. “I have never seen a crowd like this for a Pitt game or a Riverhounds game, so I think it’ll be a really surreal moment.”

Lola Abraham, Wells’ collegiate teammate, added that seeing so many people at Wednesday’s event and the ticket sale numbers means “everything to us.”

“I know a lot of the girls are excited for this Friday. We can’t wait to see the fans that come to the game,” Abraham — who is recovering from an ACL injury and will not feature in game action this season — said. “Just having that many people come and support, especially women’s soccer for our first season, means a lot to all of us.

“We’re excited to give back to the community and the city of Pittsburgh.”

“We want to compete”

In any inaugural season, teams have to be realistic with standards. However, the Riveters are setting their sights high.

“I’m excited to get out there and make everyone proud. They call us the City of Champions, so hopefully we can add to that and have some memorable moments,” Coffield said.

Dellarose added that the team wants to improve during the eight-week regular season slate, which includes five home games and five away games.

“We want to improve and we want to mesh together each game,” the Tar Heels midfielder said. “Most importantly, inaugural season or not, we want to compete and we want to win.”

Coffield stated that coach Scott Gibson has set a priority for the team to build its chemistry quickly. It’s a tough task, with players encompassing more than 20 different colleges.

“I think we’re looking to make an impact,” Coffield explained. “It’s our first year and Scott mentioned about us gelling and getting to know each other with a quick turnaround. We started training on Monday and have our first game on Friday, but I’m optimistic about this group. We’re looking to win some games and score some goals. I think it’s going to be an exciting season.”

Wells said that, despite the various backgrounds, everyone has learned from one another.

“It’s honestly been so good,” Wells said. “Even with all the difference personalities and different ways of learning to play soccer, we all came together and learned how to play with great players. They make it very easy.”

Captain Dellarose simply stated that differences in collegiate play will only make the team better as a whole.

“That’s what makes it so great,” Dellarose added. “We have so many people from so many different places. They have so much to add to the team and we learn from each other. Our differences will bring us closer together and propel us forward.”

Noted from Riveters ‘Meet the Team’

  • Despite not playing this season, Pitt’s Abraham provided positive updates on her rehab from an ACL injury she suffered during her freshman collegiate season. “Everything has been going really well,” she said. “I’m still doing personal training at Pitt, so everything has been great so far. I’m looking forward to next season, obviously. But it’s been good to be part of this and be included with Scott, John and the rest of the girls.”
  • Dellarose was the first player announced for the Riveters — and she’s officially the first captain, too. “It’s an honor taking on the captain role, especially wanting to lead into a successful season is not something to take lightly,” she said. “I appreciate the belief the staff and the players have in me to lead the team into this inaugural season.”
  • Randy Waldrum, head coach of the Pitt women’s soccer team, gave one piece of advice for Wells heading into the Riveters season. “Randy said to have fun. All he wanted me to do was have fun, work on my skills this summer and play the game I know how to play,” Wells said. Pitt has another Panther on the roster too: forward Ava Boyd.
  • Coffield mentioned that her older sister Ellie, who just graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, just missed out on the cut to join the team. However, she gave her younger sister some good advice. “She was bummed she missed out on this, and wanted to play more than anything, but she told me to get to work,” the Indiana Hoosier said. “This is a great opportunity and now I’m a representative of this city. She told me to embrace it, soak it all in and make the most of it.” The Coffield sisters played together on the Racing Louisville USL W-League squad last season, along with Sarah Schupansky, who is now playing professionally in the NWSL with Gotham FC.

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The sport of soccer is Rachael Palmer's area of expertise. Palmer covers high school and women's soccer, with occasional work with Pitt Women's Soccer. For the last five years, she has been the Color Commentator for the Pitt Women's Soccer program. Elsewhere, she contributes for The Equalizer Soccer, a dedicated women's soccer website. Palmer is a member of the official NWSL Media Association and the North American Soccer Reporters, serving as the NASR's President after four years in the role of Communications Director and Vice President.

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