First-ever Riveters-Steel City FC W League ‘Battle of the Bridges’ clash expected to pack friendly confines of Founders Field

Pittsburgh Soccer Now file photo courtesy David Hague

Steel City FC have created a lively, fun atmosphere at Founders Field, in Indianola, where the men’s first team, which compete in USL League Two and women’s first team, in USL’s W League, host matches.

On Wednesday, the facility, with a rich history, past and present, of hosting some big soccer matches where fans can get really close to the action and excitement, will have an opportunity to host a first-ever W League clash between Steel City FC’s women’s team and Pittsburgh Riveters SC. (7 p.m. kickoff).

“Excited for it,” Lucy Ream, Steel City FC defender and former Fox Chapel High School standout said after her team fought back for 2-2 draw on Saturday against Erie.

“Here at Steel City, it’s a grind. On Wednesday, it’s going to be tough for anyone who’s going to come on our turf.  We have to protect that, and that’s something that we’re really excited for.”

The match will feature Pittsburgh area’s two highest profile women’s pre-professional teams, Steel City FC, which have existed under different names for more than a decade but have been built with a strong core of its own homegrown talent, and upstart club that’s generating tons of attention and drawing large crowds to Highmark Stadium, Riveters SC.

Both clubs mostly feature players, from in and around the Greater Pittsburgh area who grew up playing with and against each other — and are mostly still competing at the college level.

** Look for a more detailed match preview to come later Tuesday ** 

Playing against other clubs and teams from the Pittsburgh area is not unprecedented for many of these players — who have faced off both at the club level, in for their respective schools, from middle school, to high school in the WPIAL/PIAA and now many still cross paths on the college soccer circuit.

However, having such a high-profile match at the pre-professional level is a relatively new thing.

A few years back, Steel City (formerly as Pittsburgh Hotspurs), faced Century United when the two clubs competed in WPSL.

Photo Gallery: Century United, Pittsburgh Hotspurs play to 1-1 draw to put wraps on WPSL season

Adding to the match-up, the teams are currently battling atop the W League standings.  Steel City (3-1-2, 11 points) have played two more matches and sit in first place, but Steel City FC (2-0-2, 8 points) are right in mix, as the only remaining team in the Great Forest Division without a loss, tied with Cleveland Force for second place.

Following the Riveters’ most impressive triumph of the season, a 3-0 win at Highmark on Sunday evening, Head Coach Scott Gibson knows that his club now has to face a unique environment on Wednesday.

“We know each other very well. We’re close in terms of city makeup,”

“It will be a tricky game. It will not be an easy game.  There’s a target on our back because we’re the new organization.  We know going into grass field, it’s going to be a different approach. We have to go there, do that, and win it.   There are different ways to go about winning soccer.  At Founders Field, it’s beautiful grass field. We look forward to it.”

This past Saturday, in one of the club’s biggest days of the calendar year, Steel City FC hosted its annual Awards Day at Founders, attracting a large crowd, many coming from the organization’s academy, which has grown immensely in recent years.

Women’s first team coach and Steel City FC owner Tom Ovenden and his staff have steered the club forward in recent years, with over 1,400 participants in all programs.

The club thrives and enjoys playing on their home field, especially with so many from its academy teams coming to root them on as they’ve worked to build a culture where many of their own homegrown players have a first team to strive to play.

“It means so much,” Emily Graeca, Steel City FC co-captain.

“When you look at our club, that’s our goal, to have these homegrown players, who grow up and play with the club all the way to the first team.  It give these girls something to look forward to, and something to work for.  It’s an honor to wear the badge as long as I have.”

The Riveters train and play exclusively on the artificial field turf surfaces at AHN Montour and Highmark Stadium.

Could that give Steel City FC the advantage in this first of two matches between the two sides?

Looking at the records, you have to go back to July 2023, when the last time Steel City FC women lost a home match at Founders as the club were unbeaten on the home field in 2024 and thus far in 2025.

The Riveters record away from Highmark Stadium hasn’t exactly been stellar, though they did earn the club’s first-ever victory on the road, beating Flower City 1872, 3-2, though they saw a 3-0 lead evaporate late.

Then, in back-to-back road matches, they lost at Cleveland, 3-2, after holding a 2-0 lead, and last week, settled for a 1-1 draw after allowing a stoppage time goal.

Gibson mentioned his concerns about his team’s ability to get to the finish line in matches, which made him feel better about their result on Sunday, beating FC Buffalo squad that has always been Steel City’s nemesis, with relative ease, crusing to 3-0 victory.  

 

In recent years, initially founded in the mid-2010s as Steel City FC as an independent club in WPSL, then becoming Pittsburgh Hotspurs in 1999, and now back as Steel City FC, the club has created a festive, lively atmosphere at the field that has plenty of history, most recently serving as the host field for University of Pittsburgh men’s and women’s soccer teams prior to Ambrose Urbanic Field being built — and has been the home of the Pittsburgh Harlequins Rugby Football Club.

The Field is located in Cheswick, PA – just northeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The facility features 250,000 square feet of natural grass with 1,500 spectator bleacher seats, concessions, 2 video towers, LED scoreboards, as well as supplementary fields adjacent to the facility.

For fans headed out to the match, there is a parking lot adacent to the field, but as the case for many Steel City matches in the past few years, overflow parking will be available at Emmerling Park, which you can see to the right as you approach Founders Field.

Steel City FC officials have said that they’re encouraging their own club members to use the No Offseason Sports facility and Bayer parking lots in Cheswick.

They he club is also encouraging pre-sale tickets by Wednesday at Noon to also set up shuttles and coordinate with Township.  More information will be made available on Steel City FC’s social media accounts.

Founders Field annually hosts regional and national Rugby events with past events including USA Rugby Women’s College DI & II National Championship, USA Rugby Men’s DIAA Quarterfinals & Semifinals, Girls High School National Rugby Championship, American Ultimate Disc League games and Midwest Championship for Gaelic Rugby Football.

And in the past couple of decades, it’s also become a home for the beautiful game, with various clubs and school teams using the field for training and competition.

After Pitt Stadium made way for the Peterson Events Center on Pitt’s campus, Pitt’s soccer teams chose to play their home games at Founders, from 2000-2010, before Ambrose Urbanic Field was built.  Point Park University and other local college teams played at Founders until Highmark Stadium was completed.

Since 2020, Steel City FC has transformed Founders Field into their own friendly confines.

👀 24 Hours to go!!

We are hosting @FlowerCityUnion tomorrow in the Semifinal of the Great Lakes @NPSLSoccer!

Get down to founders to show your support!
– https://t.co/GEBgahgp3G

LET'S GOOOOOO!#strongertogether #homegrown #pittsburghsoccer #npsl pic.twitter.com/0jqZMQOFoS

— Steel City FC (@SteelCityFC) July 9, 2024

And you read that right, the field is 100 percent natural. That’s right — games on the field are played on grass, which, strange to say, is a very rare for soccer teams and clubs based in Western Pennsylvania to train and play their games on the real stuff.

“Having a playoff game at Founders. It’s unbelievable. The crowd is always good. If you’ve never been, I would suggest coming to this game.  Fans are really close the action and will get to see some really good soccer played,” Steel City’s recently retired club legend, Nicky Kolarac, told Pittsburgh Soccer Now ahead of last year’s playoff matches.”

“Hopefully it’s packed. It’s loud.  We’ll play some great footy for people to watch.”

The momentum has been strong for both the men’s and women’s teams in the past few years.

The men made two consecutive impressive post season runs, culminated in the Great Lakes Conference finals hosted at Founders, defeating Cleveland SC, 2-0 in 2023, the Steel City boys lifted the Great Lakes Conference cup on their home turf, with a large crowd in attendance.

They repeated that feat last year, before another impressive crowd on hand.

Look for more coverage of the first-ever Steel City FC-Riveters SC match on Wednesday, including a match preview along with on-site coverage from Colton Coreschi and Rachael Palmer.