PITTSBURGH (Aug. 13, 2025) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds Development Academy forward Anna Korney was named the ECNL Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in the U16 age group, the Elite Clubs National League announced last evening.
Korney starred last year as the top scorer for the Hounds’ 2009 ECNL Girls team, helping the squad to a second-place finish in the conference with a 9-2-0 record and earning a spot in the ECNL Champions League, the league’s season-ending national championship.
The Ohio Valley Conference is comprised of clubs from six states and stretches from Buffalo, N.Y. to Nashville, Tenn. By taking the top honor, Korney becomes the first RDA player to be named a Conference Player of the Year since the club joined the ECNL in the 2017-18 season.
“This is a fantastic achievement for Anna, the RDA and the game of soccer in our area. To have a player win this award for the first time shows the growth and progression of our talent pool,” Riverhounds Academy Director Scott Gibson said. “Our goal is always to provide a pathway for players on the national stage, and Anna has set a precedent for hopefully many more players to follow in the coming years.”
The award wraps up a big competitive year for Korney — now a sophomore at DuBois Area High School — who began the 2024-25 season being invited to the U.S. Under-16 Women’s Youth National Team Training Camp last November in Chula Vista, Calif.
Building on her excellent ECNL season, Korney also made her senior-level debut with the Pittsburgh Riveters on June 11, scoring the opening goal as a 15-year-old in her first USL W League match.
