Top pick: Dellarose first player chosen for new Riveters team
Photo courtesy of GoHeels.com
The NCAA women’s soccer season is in high gear but North Carolina junior Tessa Dellarose has already made her offseason plans.
The Brownsville graduate, who is a three-year starter for the Tar Heels, will play for the Pittsburgh Riveters Soccer Club in its inaugural season in the USL W League, which is a pre-professional women’s soccer league.
The season begins in May of 2025.
Not only that, but Dellarose was the very first player the club secured for its roster.
The Riveters announced in a release that Dellarose’s roster spot is pending W league and U.S. Soccer approval after registration opens for the 2025 season.
“It’s an honor that the Riveters organization wanted to sign me as their first player,” Dellarose said. “This is a great opportunity for women’s soccer in the city, and to be at the forefront of that is very special.”
Dellarose is happy to give back to the area.
“Pittsburgh and the Riverhounds Club have been so important to my career and to me, so to be able to come back for the summer and represent them again means so much,” Dellarose said.
While she’s flattered to be the Riveters’ first player, she is also thankful for the opportunity.
“However they see me, I see them with even more admirability and gratuity, so I am very excited to be a part of it all,” Dellarose said.
The Riveters’ uniforms will be black and gold to match traditional Pittsburgh sports teams colors.
Dellarose is tied for third on the Tar Heels in scoring this season with three goals and three assists despite being a defender. She is tied for second in game-winning goals with two.
North Carolina is 12-1 and ranked second in the country.
Dellarose has made eight appearances for the US U-20 National Team.
Last summer Dellarose played for the US Women in “The Soccer Tournament” and was named the event’s MVP after scoring the winning goal in the championship game that was televised by ESPN. Retired US National Team players Heather O’Reilly and Ali Krieger also played for the team.
“We are delighted to welcome Tessa back to Pittsburgh,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said in the release. “There is not a better person or player to build the Riveters team culture around, as she is a fearless leader, competitor and role model.
“As an RDA slum, Tessa understands the expectations that we have, and she shares in our goals and vision for the future. Her current experience at UNC, coupled with her success at the US National Team level, makes her the type of person and player that we want in our building.”