Cambridge edges out Railway City FC in thrilling men’s League 1 match of the week
Sunday, June 1st 2025
Cambridge United’s Men’s First Team narrowly defeated Railway City FC on their
home turf at the Fountain Street Soccer Fields in a heavy-weight clash featured as
the men’s League 1 Ontario match of the week. The highly anticipated match lived
up to its billing, with both teams battling fiercely, but ultimately, Cambridge's
resilience secured them a hard-fought 2-1 win in front of their home crowd.
Team
Cambridge United Starting XI: Ramsay, Grant, E. Antolcic, Amaral, Ferraro
(Heimbecker 90’), Greenidge, Kohar (Brousseau 77’), Thamilventhan, Marchant,
Romano, N. Antolcic
Unused subs: Schafer, Elezi, Sran, Espinola, McKeon, Clamp, Antoun
First Half
With both sides making their League 2 debuts with eyes on promotion, the featured
game held a lot of weight for both teams.
Cambridge held most of the game's possession early on. However, Railway would
come knocking first off of a field clearance down the left flank that resulted in a ball
travelling through Cambridge’s six-yard box just shy of the far post.
The home side responded within a minute. A clever short corner led to a pinpoint
delivery to the back post, forcing the Railway City goalkeeper to make two quick,
acrobatic saves off the line to keep the score knotted at zero. Cambridge continued
to press offensively as the half wore on, with Railway City primarily relying on quick
transitions for their attacks.
The 34th minute saw another good opportunity for Cambridge. Alex Amaral threaded
a perfect through ball to Christian Ferraro, who found himself one-on-one with the Railway goalkeeper.
The keeper came out on top, denying Cambridge the opener yet again. Railway City's defense kept them
alive, with another goal-line clearance off of a goal-bound header on a ball delivered back post in the 39th minute.
At the other end in the final minutes of the first half, Railway City came close with two
dangerous balls into Cambridge’s box, but the score would remain 0-0 at the
culmination of the first half.
Second Half
Cambridge wasted no time in the second, breaking the deadlock to seize the lead in
the 47th minute. Kavin Thamilventhan played a ball through the Railway City
defenders' backline, setting up Nikolas Antolcic, who calmly slotted the ball home to
put Cambridge up 1-0.
Railway, having been on the defensive for much of the first half, found themselves
chasing the game as Cambridge continued to press, with a stinging shot saved in the
50th minute. The weight of the match continued to mount when Railway thought they
had found an equalizer in the 59th minute, hitting the crossbar, but the play was
ruled offside.
The breakthrough for Railway finally came in the 63rd minute when they were
awarded a penalty kick. Their skipper stepped up to open the scoring for the visiting
side and level the score at 1-1. With both teams pressing, Cambridge's goalkeeper
Ramsay came up big just three minutes later, denying Railway a potential go-ahead
goal in the 66th minute.
A brief injury substitution occurred in the 77th minute, with Patrick Brousseau coming
in for Saab Kohar. As the game neared its end, Cambridge continued to fight for a
winner, coming close once again on a long switch from Matteo Grant flicked on to
Evan Antolcic in the 84th minute.
The home team found their moment when Harvey Marchment delivered a long ball
down the right flank. It was played across the box and Ferraro poked it in at the near
post, securing his ninth goal of the season and making him the leading goal scorer in
the Men's League 2 Southwest division.Cambridge made a late substitution in the 90th minute, bringing in Calum
Heimbecker for Ferraro, effectively running down the clock to preserve their lead.
Time expired and Cambridge secured a well-deserved 2-1 win at home, maintaining
their perfect record in league play.