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With 2025 coming to an end, we’re looking back at how Cambridge’s men and women secured promotion from League2 amidst titles for Woodbridge and St Catharines.

A dominant display

Although their men’s season ended in defeat to St Catharines Roma Wolves’ second team in the League2 Final, they were still promoted to the Championship as the best first team in the division.

Cambridge took control of the Southwest Conference early on. A shock 3-0 L1 Cup victory at Premier Division side Alliance United set the tone as their goalscoring form began immediately and they carried their cup confidence into the league, finding the net nine times against Waterloo United L2 in the campaign opener. Christian Ferraro scored a hat-trick, staking an early claim for the golden boot award.

United were the masters of finding the net in 2025, some of their most memorable games including an 8-1 thrashing of Hamilton United, 5-0 and 4-0 wins against FC London, and their 6-0 triumph over St Catharines Roma. With only two defeats in 12 games, 48 goals scored and just 14 conceded, it meant they would face Burlington L2 in a playoff semi-final.

Christian Ferraro scored the only goal of the game to book his side a place in the playoff final against St Catharines Roma. A 2-1 loss at the final hurdle would have been a bitter pill to swallow, but promotion was still awarded to the expansion team.

The red carpet was rolled out for plenty of their squad at the end-of-season awards, with golden boot, Forward of the Year, and MVP winner Ferraro earning a spot in the All-Stars XI, alongside Defender of the Year Matteo Grant, and Goalkeeper of the Year Sam Schafer.

Playoff drama

It was a tight and tense end to the season for Cambridge’s women as they overcame Railway City in a Promotion Playoff.

Highlights of their regular season include an exciting start to the year, which saw them beat Oakville 3-1, Rush Canada Academy 4-3, St Catharines Roma Wolves 3-2, and Guelph United 2-0. A dip in form throughout June saw several sides challenging them for a top-three spot, but they regrouped in July to end the season very positively. Their best matches were a 5-1 win at Rush Canada, and a 7-1 thumping of Burlington a week later.

Cambridge secured a spot in the top three of the Southwest Conference, with eight wins from their 14 games, which involved scoring an impressive 36 goals. Although it wasn’t enough for a shot at the overall League2 Division title, it made them a real contender for a Championship place in 2026.

That’s because the two best first teams in the division, Cambridge and Railway City, were pitched head-to-head in a Promotion Playoff to determine who would earn a spot in next year’s Women’s Championship. Thalia Lievano gave Railway City a 1-0 lead but Anastasia Kraja was the hero for Cambridge as she scored a brace to turn the final on its head.

Cambridge’s 2025 stars were recognised with Goalkeeper of the Year Shae Mitchell named in the All-Stars XI, alongside teammate Megan Heyes.