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Members of Steel City FC, Lauren Miller, 21, left, and Erin Hogan, 23, practice at the Ellis School soccer field on May 19, 2016.
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Steel City FC provides opportunity, gives back

Haley Nelson/Post-Gazette

Steel City FC provides opportunity, gives back

The local amateur women’s soccer team has the name — Steel City FC — and the logo — an iconic yellow bridge, of course — to look every bit the part of a successful Pittsburgh sports franchise.

All Steel City FC needs now is a mascot.

“We were joking around last practice that we should be the Riveters, and we should make our mascot a Steelers-ed out Rosie the Riveter,” coach Betsy Warren said. “Wouldn’t that be a great mascot?”

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It would certainly be a fitting one, as Steel City, now in its second season in the second-tier Women’s Premier Soccer League, has aimed to not only play competitive soccer but also grow the sport and provide opportunities for women players.

Stephanie Harrison, founder and general manager of the team, had the idea to create Steel City FC while working on her doctorate at Chatham in 2014. She had played soccer in college at Clarion and was an assistant coach at Chatham having seen firsthand how the hole the lack of a competitive amateur or professional women’s soccer team in Pittsburgh left.

Four months later, Harrison held the first tryouts for Steel City FC, garnering 80 participants.

Last season, Steel City finished 5-1-1 in the four-team Cam-Am Division. So far in this season’s six-team Great Lakes Division running from May to July, Steel City is 0-2-0 and next plays Motor City FC at 1 p.m. June 4 at Ellis School.

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But the goals of the 25-30 players on the roster, age 18-30, extend far beyond just winning.

“We want to compete at the highest level. That’s what our athletes are here for,” Harrison said. “But also, to kind of grow the women’s game and to serve as strong female role models in the community for little girls.”

The club has partnered with various organizations such as the Wilkinsburg Boys & Girls Club to host biweekly soccer camps.

“We’ve always had guys’ sports to look up to,” defender Caitlin Schuchert said. “This is a great opportunity for little girls to come out and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s awesome.’ ”

For midfielder/​forward Bethany Smyda, 24, she said she missed the competition after finishing playing in college.

“There wasn’t much competiveness between like the open league,” Smyda said. “I still loved soccer and wanted to play competitively. So it was the perfect opportunity.”

But it’s not just players whose careers are winding down that have joined Steel City. Goalkeeper Lizz Hathaway played for Canon-McMillan and will play for Kent State in the fall. She said this team was a great way to keep her in shape and give her experience competing with older players.

Warren said it was clear from the beginning that there was a need and a market for a team such as Steel City in Pittsburgh — especially with some players traveling from Youngstown State to play. And this team only costs players $150 to participate.

“The first question is always, ‘Well, how much does it cost?’ ” Warren said. “Because everything is like a money maker. People want to make money off them. And I think that’s what I really love about this. It isn’t an endeavor where we’re looking to profit, and I think that’s why it’s kind of more a thing of passion more than a job.”

While Harrison said it would be awesome to see the club grow big enough to one day be a professional team in the National Women’s Soccer League, that’s not her main vision. Instead, she wants to focus on the community, helping disadvantaged parts of the city gain access to soccer training and have the team play host to its own clinics.

“It’s all for the love of the game,” Harrison said, “and to give back.”

Megan Ryan: mryan@post-gazette.com and Twitter

@theothermegryan.

First Published: May 31, 2016, 4:10 a.m.

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Members of Steel City FC, Lauren Miller, 21, left, and Erin Hogan, 23, practice at the Ellis School soccer field on May 19, 2016.  (Haley Nelson/Post-Gazette)
Coach Kelly Mehalko directs her team, the Steel City FC, in exercises at the Ellis School soccer field on May 19, 2016.  (Haley Nelson/Post-Gazette)
Members of Steel City FC, Steph Mizla, 20, left, and Bethany Smyda, 24, practice at the Ellis School soccer field on May 19, 2016.  (Haley Nelson/Post-Gazette)
Members of Steel City FC rest in between exercises at the Ellis School soccer field on May 19, 2016.  (Haley Nelson/Post-Gazette)
Haley Nelson/Post-Gazette
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