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Julia Benati
Canadian soccer player From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Julia Marie Benati (born September 18, 1996) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Northern Super League club Ottawa Rapid FC.
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Early life
Benati played youth soccer with North London SC, Dorchester SC, and NorWest London.[2]
College career
In 2014, Benati began attending the University of Buffalo, where she played for the women's soccer team.[3] She scored her first goal in her debut on August 22, 2014, in a 1-0 victory over the St. Bonaventure Bonnies.[4] At the end of her first season, she was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team.[5] At the end of her sophomore season, she was named to the All-MAC Second Team, earned Academic All-MAC honours and was named to the MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete list.[6][7] In 2016, she was once again named to the All-MAC Second Team and earned Academic All-MAC honours once again.[8][9] At the end of her senior season, Benati was named to the All-MAC First Team,[10] All-Midwest Region Third Team,[11] Academic All-MAC,[12] and Academic All-District.[13] She was became the first Buffalo women's soccer student-athlete to receive the NCAA postgraduate scholarship and was nominated for the 2018 NCAA Woman Of The Year.[14][15]
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Club career
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In 2016, Benati began playing with FC London in League1 Ontario.[16] In 2016, she was named to the mid-season league all-star team that played the PLSQ All-Star team[17] and was named a league Second Team All-Star at the end of the season.[18] In 2017, she was named a league Third Team All-Star.[19] In 2018, she was named a league First Team All-Star.[20] In 2019, Benati was named the league's Midfielder of the Year and a First Team All-Star.[21][22] In 2021, she once again was named the league's Top Midfielder and a First Team All-Star.[23] In 2022, she became team captain[24] and at the end of the season was named the league Most Valuable Player, Midfielder of the Year, and a First Team All-Star.[25][26]
In August 2022, Benati signed with Norwegian club Medkila in the top tier 1. divisjon.[24][27][28]
In January 2023, she signed with Portuguese club Valadares Gaia in the Campeonato Nacional Feminino.[29][30]
In June 2023, she returned to FC London, with her arrival delayed while she had to wait for the Portuguese Football Federation to approve her contract termination with Gaia.[31] In 2024, she was again named the league Midfielder of the Year and a First Team All-Star.[32]
In January 2025, Benati signed with Ottawa Rapid FC in the Northern Super League, becoming the club's first ever signing, ahead of their inaugural season.[33] On May 15, 2025, she scored her first goal in a 3-0 victory over Vancouver Rise FC.[34]
Personal life
Benati is a licensed chiropractor, having studied at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic after her undergraduate studies.[35] She stepped away from clinical practice after being offered a place with Ottawa Rapid in their inaugural season, saying "I love being a chiropractor, and I also want to compete at the highest level possible. You can’t live with regrets—sometimes you have to take the leap."[36]
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Career statistics
- As of August 4, 2024
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Honours
Club
Individual
References
External links
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