Pittsburgh Riveters starting goalkeeper Bailey Herfurth made headlines last Saturday when she delivered a rare, game-saving sequence that captivated those in attendance at FNB Stadium and that send waves across the local soccer community.
In stoppage time, with the Riveters trailing 3-2 against Flower City, Herfurth left her net empty and pushed deep into the attacking third to assist on a crucial Pittsburgh corner kick.
The ball was whipped in, bouncing off multiple players before rolling to a stop right at Herfurth’s feet. She struck it straight down the middle, buried the game-tying score, and single-handedly prevented what would have been the Riveters’ first regular-season loss in franchise history.
“I couldn’t believe that it happened. I think I’ve watched the clip of the goal from every angle at least a hundred times,” Herfurth said.
“It’s surreal. It’s something that you never think is going to happen. It’s just like, ‘oh, let’s get everyone up there’… And then the ball just came to me. I was in a lucky spot from where it popped out, and I was like, ‘oh, I have to do something now.”
Herfurth’s soccer journey, however, has far more depth to it than just a single highlight-worthy play. A native of Northport, New York—a town located on the North Shore of Long Island—Herfurth spent her entire developmental career anchored between the posts.
“I think I was just the only one that was crazy enough to do it,” Herfurth said. “No one really wanted to. Everyone wanted to score goals.”
For Herfurth, communication and psychological resilience are essential elements of the position.
“I think as a goalie, one of your biggest jobs is to communicate what’s happening on the field,” Herfurth said. “(It’s important to) be able to overcome hard things. I think sometimes it’s really hard because you’re the one getting scored on.”
While growing up in Northport, one of Herfurth’s youth coaches encouraged her to try out for a local Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) squad. She made the cut, and the transition altered her entire perspective on the position.
“Joining that team made me realize that you’re more than just a shotstopper,” Herfurth said. “From there is where I really started growing more as a soccer player too, like my job wasn’t just to be a goalie, you also are a soccer player on the field.”
Herfurth excelled within the competitive ECNL system before taking an even larger leap in her development: enrolling at IMG Academy.
Located in Bradenton, Florida, IMG Academy is an elite sports-development boarding school. Students balance rigorous academic classes by day with intensive afternoon and evening training sessions alongside top-tier national coaches. During her tenure in Florida, Herfurth sharpened the technical tools required to transition seamlessly to the Division I level.
“It was awesome, but it was definitely hard. You were pushed every single day to be your best. And I think from there, that also helped me be more prepared for college as well. It was truly a college environment, just at a younger age,” Herfurth said.
“Being able to compete against people like Mia Justus (Utah Royals goalkeeper) and Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current forward) really pushed my game from a young age.”
Following her graduation from IMG, Herfurth committed to LSU as a member of their 2022 signing class. She redshirted her first year in Baton Rouge, went on to earn First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll accolades in 2023, and notched her first collegiate start against Memphis in the NCAA Tournament.
After her redshirt-freshman campaign, Herfurth decided to enter the transfer portal, ultimately following the country roads to West Virginia University.
“Growing up in New York, it’s six hours away from West Virginia, and it was always one of the biggest programs that people talked about,” Herfurth said.
Though she drew interest from multiple schools across the country, she found immediate comfort in the familiar geographic ties anchoring the Mountaineers’ coaching staff.
“Being from Long Island, two of our coaches were from Long Island, Nikki (Izzo-Brown, the Mountaineers’ head coach) is from Rochester, N.Y.,” Herfurth said.
“From the moment they reached out to me, it was like that connection from when I was younger, just being able to see that.”
The move to Morgantown paid immediate dividends. Last season, Herfurth earned Academic All-Big XII First Team honors while racking up 46 saves across 18 starts. She compiled an impressive 13-1-4 record in net, conceding just 0.80 goals per game and recording a 0.754 save percentage.
When evaluating her options for the summer, coming to Pittsburgh was an easy choice. The opportunity allowed her to face elite competition and maintain her sharpness while remaining based in Morgantown.
“(I wanted to) keep being on the ball, keep consistently practicing, getting more touches in, getting more game experience in,” Herfurth said. “Being only an hour away in Morgantown, it was kind of a no-brainer. I could stay in Morgantown, train and have my trainers down there… and then being able to come here and train at an elite environment that understands that we are here for serious reasons.”
This summer marks Herfurth’s second season with the Riveters, having served as an inaugural member of the roster last summer. Unlike the traditional collegiate landscape, pre-professional summer leagues afford players a incredibly narrow window to build chemistry and establish an identity.
“It’s a quick season. So getting to know each other quick and all being able to work with each other on the field… one of the best parts is then going into our college season and then playing against people we were just spending the whole summer with.”
Last week’s dramatic goalkeeper goal may very well stand as the singular highlight of the summer landscape, but for Herfurth, the moment provides crucial validation for the locker room moving forward.
“I think (the ending of the game) just proves that this team is going to fight until the end. Every single game, no matter what,” Herfurth said. “And I think that’s a great atmosphere to create.”
Maintaining that active, proactive mindset ensures she is always prepared to execute when high-leverage moments arise.
“I think for me, it’s just being ready off my line, being able to be connected to my back line pretty well, and distribution and being that 11th player on the field, like you’re not just a goalkeeper, and joining the attack with the team.”
Herfurth did exactly that on Friday, and the soccer world took immediate notice.
“After the game I went to my phone and it was just exploding, and it still has been,” Herfurth said.
Riveters head coach Scott Gibson was thrilled to see his keeper execute under maximum pressure, noting that the technical ability was always there.
“Goalkeepers typically strike the ball very well,” Gibson said.
“As soon as it landed, I just knew…she hit the roof of the net, and I think just the energy and entertainment for the fans and the crowd, you don’t get to see that that often.”
Herfurth and the Riveters will look to carry that dramatic momentum into Thursday night as they travel to Founders Field to battle cross-town rival Steel City FC.
Look for a comprehensive tactical match preview of the Women’s Derby to drop on Thursday morning. Pittsburgh Soccer Now will have live, on-site coverage from Founders Field!
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