DIvision Champs Again: Riveters clinch USL W League’s Great Forest title with 3-1 win over Cleveland Force

The Pittsburgh Riveters took the pitch for their second-to-last home game of the season on Father’s Day.  It was a high-stakes matchup, as Pittsburgh stood to clinch back-to-back Great Forest Division titles with a win or draw. They succeeded, downing Cleveland Force 3-1 in front of the home fans.

“To do it with two games to spare this time is a testament to the players…we’ve played eight games and we’ve conceded four goals across eight games…this one has been a full team effort,” head coach Scott Gibson said.

First Half

The game started with a bang, as Ellen Molloy opened the scoring just 62 seconds into the game.

The shot came from the left side of the box, electrifying the crowd; it was the earliest goal in a match in Riveters history.

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“We knew we needed to start strong,” Molloy said. “It was nice to get a goal early and to kind of set the tempo.”

One defining note of the Rivs’ first half was their aggression. Passes downfield were frequent and energetic, with offensive play being typical of the fast-paced, atttacking style the team has employed all season. On defense, the Rivs had a lot of success boxing out defenders and stealing the ball away. The team was dominant in possession, controlling the ball with frequent, fluid movement.

In the 25th minute, the Rivs scored again on a corner kick from Emme Butera, which Piper Coffield scored on a header. It was Coffield’s second goal of the year, and Butera’s first assist.

Pittsburgh took another chance on a deep downfield pass to Molloy, but her shot veered right. The team was showing loads of offensive chemistry and a willingness to continually push for a score. Sabrina Bryan took another shot that went over the net.

Ever-present was center-back Gabby Lamparty, who directed traffic from the back line on almost every possession. Shouldering much of the workload of an injured Taylor Green (who is also her college teammate at Bowling Green), Lamparty distributed the ball and gave teammates open looks. She excelled at arcing passes into Cleveland’s defensive zone, giving Riveters forwards great breakaway chances.

“She’s talented on the ball, she’s talented off the ball,” Coffield said. “She really stepped up to the plate. We needed her big-time today (with Taylor Green out), and I think she was outstanding.”

The Rivs were able to get a lot of corner kicks, keeping Cleveland on their heels. Molloy made plays defensively as well, intercepting Cleveland passes and finding ways to shift momentum.

Cleveland continued to struggle at getting the ball past midfield. They had a hard time maintaining possession and finding a rhythm in terms of ball movement. Still on the front foot, Pittsburgh kept taking shots and maintaining pressure.

In the 44th minute, Cleveland finally got on the board with a goal by Lauryn Contini, assisted by Chloe Hughes. Riveters keeper Bailey Herfurth dove to her right to block the shot, but it whiffed off her hand and into the net. It was Herfurth’s first allowed goal since a 3-3 draw against Flower City on May 23rd, bringing the Riveters’ nearly monthlong shutout streak to an end.

Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead into the half.

Second Half

The Riveters stayed aggressive after the whistle, but Cleveland’s defense swarmed to them whenever they got inside the box. On a corner kick, Bella Vozar got a great header inside the box, but missed. Anna Korney got a shot right afterward, but the keeper made a leaping save to punch it away.

Korney’s presence was a huge boost in the second half. Fresh off the bench, she played with speed and intensity, grappling with Cleveland players for the ball and getting multiple breakaway chances.

“She’s 16 years old and she plays fearlessly,” Gibson said. “Off the ball, pressing, running, she’s a fantastic talent and she has a bright future ahead of her.”

Pittsburgh got on the board again in the 58th minute, when Lola Abraham dribbled the ball into the box. She was swarmed by two Cleveland defenders, and dumped a short pass to Alexis Tylenda, who booted in the wide-open shot.

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Tylenda had another chance almost immediately on a breakaway, but the shot was saved.

The theme of a consistent, relentless Pittsburgh attack continued, and almost every possession started with Lamparty, who showed great vision in terms of getting the ball out in space.

Korney got tripped in the 65th minute, leading to a Riveters free kick. Butera took the kick and missed, but the Rivs had a great defensive stand on the other end a few moments later. Cleveland had their best breakaway chance of the day, but goalkeeper Bailey Herfurth went out and blocked the first shot. Cleveland got another shot attempt, and Lamparty dove in and blocked it.

Korney had a strong breakaway in the 76th minute, but Mackenzie Russell grabbed her jersey from behind and was dealt a yellow card. Vozar had a chance on the free kick, but the shot veered left.

Gibson made some major substitutions in the 77th minute, pulling Butera, Abraham, and Molloy. Seven bench players saw the field in total, and the altered Pittsburgh lineup was able to run out the clock.

The 3-1 win clinched the Riveters’ spot in the playoffs and their status as 2026 Great Forest Division champions. The Rivs have now won back-to-back division titles in their first two years of existence, and holds an all-time record of 13-2-3 with a 7-1-0 record so far this season.

“The chemistry that we have built as a group has continued to grow and grow, and there is some momentum that comes with that,” Coffield said.

Gibson is pleased to win the division and clinch playoffs, and is determined on approaching this year’s playoff run differently.

“We had the home game last year, but we were new to it,” Gibson said. “That experience of last year has set the tone for this year… the squad is deeper, the squad is stronger… if we are lucky to play at home, we will be way more ready than we were last year.”

 

 

 

Lineups

Riveters: Bailey Herfurth; Brielle LaBerge, Gabby Lamparty, Piper Coffield, Bella Vozar; Ellen Molloy, Emme Butera, Sabrina Bryan; Alexis Tylenda, Lola Abraham, Tanum Nelson

Cleveland Force: Leah Prezenkowski; Chloe Hughes, Mackenzie Russell, Julia Rocky, Isabella Sferry; Abigail Dalessandro, Isabella Antonio, Brynn Severance; Lauryn Contini, Lauren Mahoney, Mary Dziuba

 

Subsitutions

Riveters: Annamarie Williams, Anna Korney, Fiona Mahan, Brooke Fabri, Kate Friday, Shannon Studer, Minah Syam

Cleveland Force: Addison Russell, Mikyla Hau-Golden, Lilly Boebel

Match Info

Goals:

• PIT – Brielle LaBerge – 2′
• PIT – Piper Coffield – 22′ (assist by Emme Butera)
• CLE – Lauryn Contini – 44′ (assist by Chloe Hughes)
• PIT – Alexis Tylenda – 58′ (assist by Lola Abraham)

Discipline:

• Yellow card – Mackenzie Russell (CLE)