Four Tigers Sign with Steel City FC
By: Jared Barton
Four former North Allegheny girls’ soccer standouts have signed to play with Steel City FC over the summer.
Maryland sophomore Abigail Stager will be reunited with current Tiger seniors Emma Schupansky, Ava Hutter and Averie Bierker for action in the USL W Pre-Professional Women’s Soccer League.
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Stager is fresh off a transfer from the University of Kentucky to Maryland back in January. In her time with the Wildcats, she appeared in 16 matches, logging 255 minutes of action. She scored her first career goal against Morehead State and finished the season with seven shots, including two on goal. At North Allegheny, she was named a United Soccer Coaches High School All-American and earned Pennsylvania All-State honors in 2023. She was a three-time All-WPIAL and All-Section selection and a four-time Big 56 Athletic Conference honoree. She earned first-team All-Region honors and helped her team reach the 2023 PIAA state semifinals. She was also named a Sports Illustrated Top 20 player in 2023 and set her NA’s single-season scoring record.
Schupansky is a University of Maryland-Baltimore County commit who is set to study financial economics. The captain was a first-team Big 56 All-Conference player, All-WPIAL and all-section pick earlier this year. She had three goals on the season and now has 10 total in her Tiger career. She was tied for fourth on the top goal scorers list for the Tigers last season with four. Schupansky was a Big 56 All-Conference first team selection in 2024. Emma was a second-team Big 56 All-Conference selection two years ago. She was included on the Moe Rosensteel Award Watch List each of the last two seasons as well. The two-time WPIAL Champion and four-year varsity letter winner was named a scholar athlete, is a member of the National Honor Society and Key Club.
Hutter is a La Salle University commit and will study nursing. She was a steady presence along the NA back line for multiple seasons. She was named an All-WPIAL and all-section player this past season. Hutter was a Big 56 first-team All-Conference selection and had a goal in 2025. She was a leader and producer in free-kick situations. In 2024, Hutter was a Big 56 All-Conference second team selection and was named to the Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player Watchlist. The center back scored her first career goal with the Tigers in a matchup against Upper St. Clair that year as well. The two-time WPIAL Champion was a scholar athlete and a member of the Key Club for the last four years.
Bierker is a Miami University of Ohio commit and will study business in the fall. She was named a Big 56 All-Conference second team selection this past season. Bierker contributed seven goals this season and 13 for her career. She played a key role in the offensive end for the Tigers all year, including the game-winning marker in the WPIAL semifinals over Peters Township. Bierker had a breakout junior season with NA last fall, tallying five goals, which was good enough for third-best on the squad behind Kieran Shannon and Aubrey Wells. The four-year varsity letter winner is a two-time WPIAL Champion, as well as being named a scholar athlete.
Steel City FC begins the season schedule on May 22nd. All home games are played at Founders Field in Cheswick.
The USL W League is a leader in pre-professional soccer in North America, developing the next generation of women’s talent both on and off the field. The league strives to use women’s soccer as a force for societal good by creating a national platform to increase opportunity, gender equity, and career development.
