Minnesota Aurora scores in second half stoppage time to beat the Riveters 2-1 in the Central Conference final

PITTSBURGH. Gracie Dunaway redirected a low cross from Flavie Dubé at the top of the 6-yard box in second half stoppage time as Minnesota Aurora FC beat the Pittsburgh Riveters 2-1 on Sunday, July 5, at F.N.B. Stadium in the USL W League Central Conference Final. The goal ended the Riveters’ season one round short of the national semifinals and gave top seeded Aurora its second straight conference title.

The Riveters (10-1-1) reached the final by beating Racing Louisville 5-0 on Friday in the first playoff win in club history. Aurora (14-0-0) beat Union FC Macomb 2-0 in the other semifinal and arrived having won every match it had played this season.

Aurora scored in the 18th minute. Dubé worked a give-and-go in the box with Jeanette Fieldsend, who played the ball back to her, and Dubé finished from close range for a 1-0 lead.

The Riveters nearly tied the match minutes later. Ellen Molloy took a pass from Bella Vozar inside the box, and her shot struck the crossbar. Molloy tied it in the 37th minute with a direct free kick from just inside 30 yards on the right, struck left-footed into the top left corner, between the goalkeeper’s hand and the crossbar. The goal was only the second Aurora had allowed all season. Molloy finished her season with four goals and three assists.

“It’s an incredibly tough pill to swallow when you battle that hard for 90-plus minutes and it gets decided by a fraction of a second at the very end,” Riveters head coach Scott Gibson said.

The second half produced chances at both ends and no goals. Sabrina Bryan forced an early save from Aurora goalkeeper Taylor Fox after Anna Korney played her into the box. Taylor Green struck the side netting from a corner kick. In the 79th minute, Riveters goalkeeper Lexi Grundler went low to stop a headed shot by Skye Leach. Grundler made four saves in the match. No save total for Fox was published.

Two minutes of stoppage time were displayed with the match at 1-1 and extra time ahead. Dubé then carried the ball down the right side and played a low ball to the top of the 6-yard box, where Dunaway redirected it home. The Riveters pushed forward once more, and the Aurora defense cleared to end the match.

The Riveters finished 10-1-1, with 38 goals scored and 7 allowed. They won the Great Forest Division for the second straight year and reached the final eight of the playoffs, and for the second straight season Aurora ended their run, after a 2-0 loss in the opening round in 2025. Aurora lost its national semifinal at Salmon Bay FC in a shootout after a 1-1 match on July 11, and Salmon Bay went on to win the league championship.

Goals: Minnesota, Dubé 18, Fieldsend. Pittsburgh, Molloy 37. Minnesota, Dunaway, second half stoppage time, Dubé. Halftime: Pittsburgh 1, Minnesota Aurora 1.