Season Preview: Steel City FC women rely on elite locker room culture and veteran core in USL W League campaign

Following a highly competitive campaign last year that saw them establish a rock-solid tactical footprint, Steel City FC Women are hitting the pitch to kick off their 2026 USL W League season.

Under the steady guidance of Head Coach Tom Ovenden, the club enters the summer with a distinct blend of experienced returning veterans and dynamic collegiate reinforcements, all hungry to climb the ranks of a loaded division.

The club’s blueprint remains firmly rooted in its trademark high-tempo, possession-based identity, but with a revamped roster that looks ready to take a massive step forward on the national stage. They will not have to wait long for a massive litmus test, as the summer campaign fires up with an immediate opening-day road trip north to square off against a regional foe.

An Opening Day Trip To Western NY

The quest for the postseason begins this Friday night on the road, where Steel City will travel north to face FC Buffalo. (7 p.m. — Coyer Field at Buffalo State University).

The opening fixture arrives with plenty of intriguing storylines already attached.

Last Saturday, FC Buffalo traveled into the area for a season-opening clash against the cross-town Pittsburgh Riveters, where a shorthanded Buffalo side was soundly defeated in a 5-0 rout.

While Buffalo will undoubtedly be hungry to rewrite the script, iron out their roster depth, and secure a bounce-back result in front of their home fans, Steel City has a golden opportunity to dictate the tempo on the road from the opening whistle.

Defender Emily Graeca expects a challenging environment up north, noting that FC Buffalo is a strong side, but warning that the environment will test their focus.

“If you’ve been up to FC Buffalo, you also know that their fans can get a little bit chirpy, and so we’re gonna have to keep our cool tomorrow,” Graeca said.

“Obviously, season opener, so we’re gonna see everything that we’ve been training for sort of put out onto the field. We’re feeling pretty good and confident, though. I think a lot of people are coming off of some pretty good college spring seasons, so everyone’s fit and ready to go. That’s obviously our first—first and foremost is we gotta get a result at Buffalo, and I know some people are like, ‘Oh, Riveter’s next week.’ Our focus is on FC Buffalo right now, and going up there and getting the result that we need.”

The Engine Room: Key Players to Watch

As the official roster takes shape, Steel City’s strength will rely heavily on an elite core capable of dictating the tempo of matches against top-tier regional competition. Among the standout names driving the squad’s momentum this summer are technical midfielder Payton O’Malley and Graeca herself in the backline.

Both players bring immense collegiate pedigree and deep local roots to the squad, acting as the bridge between Ovenden’s tactical whiteboard and the pitch.

Graeca, a standout defender at James Madison University and a DuBois area native, alongside O’Malley, the Chartiers Valley product now commanding the box at Bowling Green, form a tightly knit partnership. Graeca described playing with O’Malley as incredibly refreshing.

“Her confidence just, like, spreads throughout the field,” Graeca said.

“It’s so nice to have somebody who’s back there and so comfortable with themselves that, one, she plays the way that we want to play, like, it’s difficult as a goalkeeper to play in the style where you’re not just gonna kick it when you have pressure. We want to play out, we want to combine out of the back, so having Peyton on that same page is super helpful, and her energy is just amazing. She always brings it in practice and, in games, too. So I love playing with my friend in the back.”

O’Malley was equally complementary of Graeca’s impact on the overall team environment.

“Emily—there’s so many words I could say about Emily. I mean, she is the best,” O’Malley said. “Like, she’s what you want to look for in a partner as a captain, as a teammate, as a friend, someone that you will call family, because that’s just what she makes you feel. She makes you feel like you’re a part of a family… She is just phenomenal all around. Like, she calms everybody down, she makes everyone put their foot on the ball, like, take a second, really take in the atmosphere, and she makes you a better player at the end of the day. I can be as confident, as she said, when you have someone like that playing right in front of you.”

• Key Returnees: Emily Graeca (Dubois / James Madison), Coco Dorman (Marquette), Regan Reilly (Latrobe / Eastern Kentucky), Audrey Bianco (CMU), Payton O’Mally (Chartiers Valley /Bowling Green) and Kaitlyn Killinger (Plum / Duquesne)

• Local Ties: The roster features several Moon High School products, including Skylar and Kaitlyn Leseck, alongside Chartiers Valley standout Payton O’Malley.

• Coaching Core: Veteran Jaclyn Ketter (Kent State), currently the head coach at Wheeling University, provides an essential veteran presence on the pitch.

A Culture Built on Family

Steel City’s greatest weapon isn’t just tactical; it’s cultural.

The environment allows players to drive and push each other intensely on the field, but immediately transition into a supportive unit the second they cross the touchline.

O’Malley explained that the training environment naturally sharpens their game prep.

“Up to where the atmosphere itself seems almost like you are in a game-like atmosphere, where there’s, like, crowds and you hear talk, and that’s what we want as teammates,” O’Malley said. “

We want to push each other and find those limits, but also, as soon as we step off those lines, we’re patting each other on the back, we’re hugging each other, we’re laughing about it, and we’re not taking anything off the field. That’s what you want. You want to be able to drive each other, push each other on the field, but off the field, you want to be best friends, and almost family.”

Graeca agreed completely.

“Yeah, I think she encapsulated that perfectly. It’s a family at Steel City,” Graeca said.

“It’s just… coming home from school, getting to play with some of your old teammates, and getting to play with new faces as well this year, it’s a really unique opportunity, and that’s one thing you never really have to worry about, is the culture with us… The culture’s never really something that we have to worry about, and that’s… that’s something that not a lot of people get to experience a team where the culture is as strong as it is at Steel City.”

While the USL W League competition continues to grow more intense, O’Malley explained that the rise in competition doesn’t alter their core approach.

“Yes, I can say there’s a rise in competition level, for sure. But nothing really changes for us,” O’Malley noted.

“We’re not changing our play style, we’re not changing how we go about practices, we’re, like, not really changing formation as much, maybe for different opponents, depending on what’s needed… it has been the same competition in practices and things like that before we even made the switch, so, I mean, to say that we have already brought a great level, like, me and Graca can’t be more proud that we were already at such a high level. Yes, it does push us in a way, but I feel like there’s not much changing, it’s just mentality in a way.”

Breaking News: O’Malley Headed to TST

The opening stretch of the season will feature a temporary adjustment in goal, as O’Malley is set to depart for a high-profile individual milestone.

Graeca dropped the news during the interview, hpying up her teammate’s national selection.

“She’s actually heading to TST tomorrow, which is the small-sided tournament, so we’re super proud and super excited for her to have that opportunity,” Graeca shared.

“It just speaks to the player and the person that she is.”

O’Malley confirmed she will be training and playing with Ultrain FC, who made it all the way to the semifinals last year.

While she will be matching up against iconic USWNT national team legends like Hope Solo and Carli Lloyd, the opportunity means she will miss Steel City’s first two regular-season matches.

However, she expects a seamless transition when she returns on June 2nd.

“I will be back, ready to train, just picking up just like that,” O’Malley said. “I mean, that’s a good thing about this group, like, you can just adapt right into it and pick that level back up.”

If you aren’t familiar with The Soccer Tournament (TST), think of it as soccer’s version of the high-stakes Basketball Tournament (TBT)—a 7v7, open-application, winner-take-all tournament featuring a staggering $1 million prize per bracket. Held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina from May 27 to June 1, games are played on short fields with mini-goals, no offsides, and a dramatic untimed “Target Score” ending.

O’Malley will be in net for Ultrain FC—the global soccer app roster that fought its way to the national semifinals last summer. Ultrain FC has been placed in Women’s Group B alongside Bumpy Pitch FC, City Soccer FC, and Simply Futbol FC, with group play kicking off on Thursday, May 28. 

In 2023, former Pitt Panthers midfield maestro Filip Mirkovic grabbed headlines when he suited up for the star-studded Wrexham Red Dragons alumni squad. Just one year later, former Riverhounds Academy star and Brownsville native Tessa Dellarose reached the absolute pinnacle of the tournament, scoring the golden-goal winner in the 2024 final and walking away with the historic title of TST Women’s Tournament MVP.

The Big Picture for Pittsburgh Soccer

The explosion of the local pre-professional landscape is a massive win for the region — including having three high level squads (Riveters and Beadling SC’s WPSL team).

Graeca highlighted how unique the experience is for the fans, and especially for the younger girls in the area.

“It’s really a unique experience for the players, but I think more importantly, the fans, and especially the younger girls,” Graeca said.

“It means the world whenever you walk out and you see a bunch of little girls cheering you on, whether it’s for the other side or your side. It really is something special, and something that we hadn’t really grown up with in Pittsburgh, and it’s cool that we’re getting to bring that experience to some of the younger girls now… I do think that we’re… we’re way overdue for a professional team here in Pittsburgh. I mean, that would be so cool to see that come to fruition.”

That growth will be on full display next week when local rivalries take center stage, but the immediate target remains locked on the highway trip north.

Head Coach Tom Ovenden’s staff—including vital contributions from James Faint, Scott Arnold, Garrett Watson and David Egbo —has cultivated a fun, high-intensity environment that gets the absolute best out of the roster.

Graeca highlighted how the staff values the group as people, noting that they really care about the person first before the player.

“James Faint, we’ve got Garrett, Scott, Egbo a bunch of people who help out with our practices every day, so we’re super, super thankful to have them around, and… have their pointers,” Graeca added.

“Yeah, it’s just a fun environment to be around with the coaches, you know, joking and laughing with them, but they also get the best out of us, and that’s all that you can ask for.”

If what Graeca and O’Malley are saying about early training sessions, this group possesses both the depth and the mental fortitude to continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the W League.

For Full Interview with Graeca and O’Malley — Check Out the latest episode of Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast

https://pittsburghsoccernow.com/2026/05/21/sounding-off-on-soccer-podcast-steel-city-fcs-veterans-emily-graeca-and-payton-omalley-anchor-w-league-core/

Steel City FC (USL W League) Returning Players include:

• Audrey Bianco

• Coco Dorman

• Gabi Folino

• Emily Graeca

• Jaclyn Ketter

• Kaitlyn Killinger

• Kaitlyn Leseck

• Skylar Leseck

• Margherita Memoli

• Kaitlyn McGuire

• Payton O’Malley

• Regan Reilly

• Bri Ross

• Marissa Salsbury

• Saveria Ulizzi

• Mackenna Yaracs