Fox Chapel grad Kate Friday signs on with expansion Pittsburgh Riveters SC

Kate Friday didn’t want her mental well-being to be defined by success, or failure, surrounding her soccer career. When the Fox Chapel graduate committed to attend Xavier University in Cincinnati, she wanted to find places around her adopted city where she could escape.

“I think my favorite place to go to is the river walkway,” Friday said. “I take all of my friends there. It takes you past the Bengals’ field and all of the bridges. It’s a nice place to walk around and see Cincinnati and the (Ohio) River.”

Friday, 19, enjoys the opportunity to escape from some of the pressure that may lay ahead. Friday recently signed to play for Pittsburgh Riveters SC. The Riveters are a professional soccer team who are slated to play their first season in the USL W League in 2025.

Friday’s addition to the team is pending approval from the USL and U.S. Soccer once registration starts. Friday played for the Riverhounds’ Development Academy growing up.

She said she was invited by the coaching staff to try out for the team. Friday still plans to maintain her amateur status, which she can do by not accepting money to play, so she can still play at Xavier to maintain NCAA eligibility.

“We are delighted to welcome Kate back to the club. She is a player that has had to work hard through her developmental years in the RDA, and she is now flourishing,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said in a news release.

“She played exceptionally well at the Invitational Combine, and she has all the characteristics both on and off the field that will help our culture and locker room.”

During Friday’s freshman year at Xavier, she appeared in eight matches. The Musketeers finished with 15 wins and lost in the Big East championship match to UConn.

Friday, who plays in the midfield, said she has been focused on learning how to grow as an athlete and person in college. On the field, Friday would like to be more dynamic in the attack.

“I would like to get down the tactics for me going forward so that I can grow as a player and score and take more shots from distance,” Friday said. “That comes with confidence.”

Friday said that going to college has made her more determined to do workouts independently. She wants to find the right balance between allowing her body to rest, but being consistent with training to stay strong.

“You need to figure out what works best for you,” Friday said. “You need to know when to go to the trainer or get that extra lift in. You have to be independent.”

Friday said she would like to play professionally in a few years. Being on the ground floor is exciting for her. Having come up through the Riverhounds’ system, Friday would like to help the Riveters grow like the professional men’s club has in Pittsburgh.

She is trying to take the right steps to do so.

“I always make sure that I’m sleeping enough every day,” Friday said. “I had trouble with that in the beginning. It’s important right now that I continue to play soccer, even in the offseason, to get minutes under my belt.”