Steel City FC Opens 2026 Campaign with a Draw
By Zander Plizga
CHESWICK, PA — Steel City FC opened the 2026 season and its defense of the USL League Two Great Forest Division title with a 0-0 draw against Lorain County Leviathan on Wednesday evening at Founders Field. The hosts controlled the run of play throughout but were unable to break through a physical Leviathan backline anchored by goalie Zoltan Nagy, who finished the night with six saves.
“I think we saw a lot of good stuff today, we saw our identity and the message from the past two weeks of practice,” said captain Ashwin Menon (Duquesne ’26). “We definitely want to clean up some of our mistakes, tracking loose balls, connecting on passes a little better, but overall, really happy with our performance. [We] got to put the ball away though, so we will work on putting the ball in the net and creating more chances. We deserved to put this team away tonight, so next time we have got to do that.”
Photo: Randy Warner
Jaxon Ervin (Duquesne), Nick Niebauer (Bellarmine ‘30), and Jake Lane (Old Dominion ’26) each had two shots for Steel City, with Josh Lane (Robert Morris ’27) posting a clean sheet in goal. Steel City’s strong defensive effort gave Josh Lane an easy day at the office, in which he did not face any shots on target. The backline was led by captain Menon and anchored by three academy products: Luke Fiscus (Duquesne ’28), Sean Regan (John Carroll ’30), and Zander Plizga (Mount Union ’26). Fiscus and Regan both saw the full 90 minutes of play and won key 1v1 duels late to seal the match.
Photo: Randy Warner
Mathieu Brick (Duquesne ’27) delivered an impressive Steel City FC debut, playing the full 90 minutes and providing a calm, reliable beat as the heart of the midfield. Working together with Cam Territo (Duquesne ’23) and Ryan Kopay (FDU ’27), Brick helped form a midfield trio that dictated long stretches of the match. The group battled through constant physical contact, picked up second-balls, and earned key set‑piece opportunities that shifted the match’s momentum.
The Steel City FC first team, winners of three consecutive division titles (2023 & 2024 NPSL, 2025 USL2), continues to utilize its development pathway with four homegrown players – Regan, Fiscus, Plizga, and Niebauer – earning starting nods. John Bence (St. Thomas ‘28), who came through the youth development program as well, saw action in the opener. Bence came on late and showed how dangerous he is on set pieces, with a plethora of well-placed crosses that found the heads of attacking Steel City players. Despite the strong efforts all around, a goal was not found, and the match ended 0-0.
Steel City FC returns to action on Wednesday, May 27, when they take on Pittsburgh Riverhounds II at Highmark Stadium. First kick is set for 7 p.m. with the full game broadcast available HERE.