Upper St. Clair defender making memories in soccer
DiSora shines for Riveters, Panthers
Natalia DiSora has had a summer to remember. Now the Upper St. Clair senior is having an autumn to recall.
During the Pittsburgh Riveters inaugural season in the USL’s women’s soccer league, DiSora played every minute at center back and helped the team clinch the Great Forest Division title and participate in the Central Conference playoffs.
Additionally, she was selected in July to attend the United States Under-18 Women’s National Team Training Camp held in Fayetteville, Ga. The camp brought together players that would be in the eligible pool for the 2026 FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup to be played in Poland next September.
“The camp was extremely fun,” DiSora said. “It was amazing playing with girls so talented and who have been playing for so long.”
DiSora played midfielder. Though not “super familiar” with the position, she said she learned so much more about the defensive third of the field and gained an understanding of where to move, help out and break lines.
“I know a lot more now,” she said. “As a center back, I get to see the entire field and know all the positions. I’m usually communicating with my teammates on the field where we need to be and what we need to do.
“Attending camp and playing for the Riveters this summer was such an incredible opportunity that only a few of us in high school experienced this summer. I was grateful to contribute to the team’s success. Being in that environment brought so much focus for me. It proved I can play at that level now and fit right in. It also makes my game so much better.”
The USC girls’ soccer team is the better for it, too. The Lady Panthers improved to 5-1-2 overall with a 6-1 rout of Connellsville on Sept. 15. Avery Bayer had a hat trick while Mary Mascaro, Callie Roberts and Angie Stein provided the other tallies.
A team captain, along with Mascaro, Gianna Cardello and Sierra Dupre, DiSora anchors a defense that is allowing 0.8 goals per game and has three shutouts this fall. She is also one of the team’s many Division I college recruits.
While Braidyn Recker is still mulling over her options, Dupre is bound for Clemson. Mascaro is committed to Kent State. Chloe Bird will attend Dickinson and goalkeeper Camryn Friday is a Tampa recruit.
DiSora will play her college soccer at Wake Forest while applying her 4.6 GPA towards studies in biology. Disora picked the Demon Deacons over offers from Michigan, Purdue, West Virginia and several Ivy League schools.
“Once I visited (Wake), I fell in love with the place, the coaches and players. It was like a family. They care about athletes as people.
“I also knew I wanted to play in the ACC. The talent is extraordinary and it’s the most competitive league,” DiSora said. “It seemed like a dream place for me.”
Wake Forest is the college in which DiSora believes she can achieve her goals. While she hopes to help the Demon Deacons avenge last year’s 1-0 loss to the University of North Carolina in the 2024 NCAA championship contest, DiSora plans to emulate Tar Heel defender Tessa Dellarose and eventually play professionally in the National Women’s Soccer League.
“I’ve watched Tessa’s training habits and I want to live up to her standards,” DiSora said. “If I can keep up with her, I can do well.
“I’d love to play in the NWSL but the ultimate goal, now that I’m in the pool of players with the national team, is the FIFA World Cup. That and the 2028 Olympics would be an incredible experience. Many girls, especially out of Wake have succeeded,” DiSora noted.
“The standards at Wake are set super high but I want to make an impact right away. It’s why I work out all day. I know how hard they all are working and how talented they are. I don’t want to sit on the bench, but if I have to, I’m willing to do it.”
DiSora has always been willing to do whatever it takes.
Because her parents, Lisa and Mark, were into sports “for the social aspect,” DiSora depended upon her brother, Gianni, for guidance.
“Neither of my parents are athletes but my brother and I are super competitive,” she said. “We’ve worked hard to become better at sports.”
Gianni, who is currently playing football and lacrosse at Westminster College, introduced DiSora to ice hockey and she blossomed into a scoring forward for Pens Elite, which finished third and sixth in the nation the past two years.
“Since I had to go to his 6:30 morning practices and I wanted to do all the stuff my brother did, my dad signed me up and bought the equipment for me to play hockey, too,” DiSora explained. “Hockey is demanding but I think the abilities I have developed translate well to soccer. While I have fun scoring goals in hockey, I also have fun in soccer defending goals.”
DiSora started out as a striker in soccer, a game she picked up at age 3. By age six, she transitioned to the Beading Soccer Club and defense. Until she was 16, she played for Beadling. This past year, she switched over to the Riverhounds.
“Beadling created me into the person and player that I am today but the Riverhounds opened more doorways,” DiSora said. “The league is more competitive and I have gained knowledge and grown my game a lot more.
“Defensively, I like the fact that I see the whole field and can comprehend the game better. Defense doesn’t get much credit, but it is one of the hardest working positions on the field. You have to read and react. Playing defense requires a lot of grit and determination. I get great satisfaction stopping goals. And everybody says that defense wins games and championships.”
Titles are on DiSora’s mind. She wants to help USC capture a couple of crowns before the 2025 campaign culminates. The Panthers have eight WPIAL banners, but have not won a championship since 2011. Their last PIAA title came in 2015.
“We always want to win states but that is super hard to do, especially because our section alone is so competitive. There are so many talented players on different teams,” DiSora said. “Win or lose, we work hard no matter who we play. Our mentality doesn’t change.
“I love my high school team and my friends and it’s so much fun playing under the lights,” she added. “I want to have one more memory with them.”
Natalia DiSora
INFO BOX
Age: 18
Birthday: October. 28
Parents: Lisa and Mark
Sibling: Gianni, a freshman at Westminster College, playing football and lacrosse.
School: Upper St. Clair
Year: Senior
GPA: 4.60.
Sports: Soccer, hockey
College: Choice: Wake Forest
Major: Biology. “It might be hard, especially with all the labs, but I want to try it and I want to be a success off the field as much as on the field. I feel Upper St. Clair has prepared me to succeed academically. The teachers push us to reach the highest levels and we have developed good study habits.”
Food: Salmon
Restaurant: Hibachi “I love the experience and the food is great, but my mom’s my favorite cook.”
With whom would you like to have dinner: “My grandfather, Primo. I never met him but all my cousins know him. He was born and raised in Italy but came to the United States. He was an incredible person. People tell me that my qualities and attributes remind them of me. I would have loved to have seen the person he was. ”
Athlete: Crystal Dunn, a defender who plays for the U.S. national team. “She’s an incredible athlete and I try to mimic her play and incorporate things she does in my game.”
Social media: Instagram
Book: “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio. “I read the book in sixth grade but I’ve probably watched the movie 1,000 times. I love the story line.”
Color: Pink
People might be surprised to know this about you: I have never gotten a B in high school and I never want to get on. People say you need to understand what it feels like but I know. I would be crushed.
Life lesson learned from sports: Never take anything for granted because you never know when something will be the last. One moment could change the rest of your life, so give 100 percent.