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May 5, 2025 By Jonathan Guth 6 min read

There is a good chance Brownsville graduate Tessa Dellarose won’t be visiting too many resorts during her “summer vacation” from the University of North Carolina.

If a trip is planned, Dellarose will most likely bring her soccer cleats, as the soon-to-be senior Tar Heel will play in the inaugural season for the Pittsburgh Riveters SC and in The Soccer Tournament (TST) for the US Women.

Dellarose is in academic mode at the moment, as she is completing her final exams in Chapel Hill, N.C. Dellarose, who is majoring in exercise and sport science – fitness professional, stars in the classroom as well as on the pitch. She received the 2024-25 UNC Athletic Director Scholar-Athlete Award.

Dellarose will return home Friday before the Riveters play their first match in franchise history on May 16 against the Cleveland Force. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Highmark Stadium.

“I haven’t been able to spend a summer at home before I started college,” Dellarose said. “It is really exciting and a big moment for women’s soccer to have a team in Pittsburgh. The city seems so ready to embrace a women’s team.

“It makes it more exciting to come back home and play in the summer at Highmark, which is probably my favorite venue to play in with the skyline and the river. It is truly a special experience.”

The Riveters will play a 10-match regular season in the Great Forest Division of the pre-professional USL W. Cleveland and Pittsburgh will play each other at Cleveland on May 27, as each team in the division will have a home-and-home series with each other in the six-team division.

In addition to their two matches with the Force, the Riveters will face Erie Sports Center, FC Buffalo, Flower City 1872 and Steel City FC.

In addition to playing for the Riveters, Dellarose is a 2025 Women’s Sports Advisory Committee Member.

The mission of the committee can be found on the Riveters’ website. It states the following: “The mission of the Women’s Sports Advisory Committee is to enhance the Riveters organization while promoting broader growth in women’s sports throughout the Pittsburgh region. Comprised of influential leaders from sports, business, marketing and community advocacy, the committee will focus on strategic planning, program development and community outreach to ensure the Riveters’ success both on and off the field.”

Following its inaugural match, Pittsburgh will travel to Rochester, N.Y., to play Flower City 1872 on May 24 at 6 p.m. The Riveters will have a return match at Cleveland three days later before returning home on May 30 to host Flower City 1872 at 7 p.m.

Dellarose will be among a number of players on the roster who went to WPIAL high schools, including Waynesburg Central graduate Ashlyn Basigner, who is a member of the University of Cincinnati’s women’s soccer team.

Dellarose will take a short break following the Riveters’ match on May 30 to head to Cary, N.C., for the TST tournament. The event is scheduled for June 4-9.

Dellarose was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player last year in TST, as the US Women won the championship. Dellarose scored two of the US Women’s four goals in the semifinals against the Tampa Bay Sun FC on June 9. She started on defense in four of the five matches played and netted the winning goal in the US Women’s 4-0 win over Tampa Bay Sun FC.

The play at TST differs from the traditional soccer match, as it is a 7v7 version of the game that is normally played with 11 players on each side. Two 20-minute halves are played for a 40-minute match, and there are unlimited substitutions.

Dellarose normally plays defense for UNC, but can move up to midfield and even play on a wing in 7v7 play.

“The 7v7 is commonly played in practice, and it is a fun thing to do,” Dellarose said. “A bunch of tournaments are piggy backing off of it. The field is a little bit shorter and the goals are smaller, so you have to be able to play in small places, and I enjoy being able to do that.

“The play is at a really high intensity because players can sub in and out so much it is almost like a hockey game. I would say I probably played 20 to 25 minutes per match in last year’s tournament. It provided me with a platform to express how competitive I am.”

The US Women will have a target on their backs after winning last year’s TST, but being the hunted instead of the hunter is nothing new for Dellarose, as playing for the Tar Heels at the collegiate level brings out high expectations year in and year out while other teams are looking to knock off the nation’s most prestigious women’s soccer program. The TST has also moved up from eight teams to 16 this year.

“Teams always come after us at UNC no matter what the year is,” Dellarose said. “We won the national title this past season, but we were still the hunted my first two seasons despite not winning a national championship. It is a privilege to play for a program like UNC. We would rather have people chasing us than trying to climb up.”

Dellarose has played on an international stage in her career, but last year’s TST provided her with the opportunity to play with, and against, some of the best in the game.

“To be able to share the field with players that I looked up to when they were on the national team and playing professional soccer was surreal,” Dellarose said. “There are going to be a lot more players involved at TST this year, but we will give it our all to defend our title.”

Brownsville is not found on too many road maps, but Dellarose is proud to represent where she comes from. She is not the only athlete from the small town who is competing at the collegiate level, as cross country and track & field runners Gionna and JoJo Quarzo are at North Carolina State, Derrick Tarpley Jr. is playing baseball for the University of Pittsburgh and Jessie Duda competed for a junior world championship in moguls skiing this past January in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

“I definitely think it is really cool to see Brownsville natives continue on in their careers,” Dellarose said. “Brownsville is a very small town and no one hears about it until you are there, but it makes you very proud to represent the area you are from. It sets a good example for generations coming up.”