Former West Allegheny, Duquesne standout signs with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Nate Dragisich became the first member of the Riverhounds Academy to sign a contract with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Wednesday.

The former West Allegheny and Duquesne University midfielder inked a one-year contract with a club option for 2025, the team announced.

Dragisich played youth soccer for the Riverhounds Development Academy teams, starting with the program’s inception in 2007. He later played for the group from 2014-18 before committing to Duquesne. He was named an Elite Clubs National League All-American. In addition, he was the state’s player of the year after leading West Allegheny to the 2018 PIAA title.

“Nate trained with the First Team when he was an Academy player and impressed, and he went on to have a productive college career at Duquesne,” Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley said in a statement. “He works hard, is composed in the final third and is very good technically. We look forward to his continued development with our group in 2024.”

At Duquesne, Dragisich had nine goals and 24 assists, was an All-Atlantic 10 Rookie Team selection in 2019 and on on the all-conference second team in 2021.

“The entire Academy staff is delighted and proud to see Nate sign for our professional team,” Riverhounds Academy Director Scott Gibson said.

“Our vision in 2007 was to provide a platform for young players in Pittsburgh to have the opportunity to make it pro after developing through the Academy system. Nate joined us for our first-ever training program as a young boy in 2007 and developed each year through the competitive RDA team model. We hope Nate will inspire a generation of players who are in the Academy that aspire to follow his path to play professionally and represent the City of Pittsburgh.”

The Hounds open the regular season at 4 p.m. Saturday at New Mexico United.