Penalties result in heartbreak for Cambridge in OPL Cup Semifinals

July 8, 2026

Cambridge, ON – Cambridge United Men’s squad saw their spectacular Cup run end in cruel fashion on Wednesday night, falling 8-7 in a thrilling penalty shootout to Woodbridge after a heroic 0-0 draw through 90 minutes at Fountain Street Soccer Complex. 

Entering the OPL Men's Cup Semifinals as heavy underdogs, the OPL2 side went toe-to-toe with the OPL1 leaders in a relentless battle beyond the final whistle. Though they pushed Woodbridge to the absolute brink, a spot in the final eluded them by the narrowest of margins in penalties.

TEAM

Cambridge United Starting XI: Findlay (GK), Grant (Kohar 74’), E. Antolcic, Arango (Romano 31’), Amaral (Dell 69’), Ferraro, Greenidge, Heimbecker, Medeiros (Monterroso 69’), Brousseau, N. Antolcic (C).

Unused Subs: Lopez (GK), Lesic, Ciavarro, Nibogora, Shaikh.

First Half

The underdogs showed no fear from the opening whistle, matching Woodbridge's technical OPL1 pace with flawless tactical shape and defensive grit. The midfield territory became a battleground early, leading to an intense physical tone and a booking for Cambridge's Noah Medeiros in just the 17th minute. 

Head Coach Jon Morgan was forced into an early tactical adjustment in the 31st minute, bringing on Luca Romano to replace James Arango. Despite sustained pressure from the league leaders, Cambridge’s resolute backline kept clear chances at a premium, sending both teams into the locker rooms deadlocked at 0-0.

Second Half

As tension mounted in the final 45 minutes, Cambridge continued to frustrate Woodbridge's attack. Needing fresh energy to preserve the high-press structure, Morgan made a double substitution in the 69th minute, introducing Kyler Monterroso and Elliott Dell for Medeiros and Alex Amaral. 

Saab Kohar then entered the pitch in the 74th minute for Matteo Grant to solidify the right flank. 

Woodbridge threw everything forward in the final stages, but Cambridge held firm through a nerve-wracking close to regular time, forcing the match straight to a penalty shootout.

Penalties

What followed was a dramatic, high-stakes shootout that pushed both sets of supporters to the edge of their seats. Early goals from Daniel Tareke and Saab Kohar set the pace before dynamic momentum swung wildly. 

Omari Cotterell and Nikolas Antolcic converted cleanly for their respective sides, followed by a huge save from Jacob Findlay on Woodbridge captain Jacob Spizzirri. Woodbridge answered right back as their keeper denied Kyler Monterroso.

Ronaldo Marshall and Calum Heimbecker both converted to keep things level. After Francesco Panetta scored for Woodbridge, Luca Romano missed his effort, gifting the visitors a match point. However, Nicolas Alfieri missed his subsequent attempt for Woodbridge, keeping Cambridge alive. 

Christian Ferraro, Alexander Santillan, Patrick Brousseau, Michael Caschera, and Evan Antolcic all buried their shots under immense pressure. Jordan Hendriks edged Woodbridge ahead before Elliott Dell safely converted his shot to keep pace. 

The shootout finally reached its dramatic end when Tristan Greenidge's attempt was saved, allowing Woodbridge’s Elijah Viet Le to bury the final penalty and seal a heartbreaking end to an extraordinarily brave underdog performance from the home side. 

Up Next

The men’s focus returns entirely to their OPL2 campaign as they take on FC London on home turf at Fountain Street Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m.