One down, one to go.
Goal man: Rabin Nabizada (left) – in action during the second half of the first leg – scored the winner on Waiheke Island to secure promotion. Photo – Roy Pilott.
Cambridge’s men team has won promotion to the Northern football league – and the club’s women’s team now has a great chance to compete in the women’s equivalent of the competition.
The men repeated its 1-0 scoreline win over Waiheke United on the island last Saturday as the first of the north v south conference league winner payoffs were completed.
The decisive goal for coach Jordan Shaw’s side came from Rabin Nabizada in the 66th minute.
It gave Cambridge a two-goal lead with just 24 minutes to play in a game which United would have gone into full of confidence, having given Cambridge a lot to think about despite losing the first leg by a single goal.
The hosts also went into the match buoyed by the return of Frederico Pantella who had been suspended for the first leg.
Promotion to the Northern League championship puts Cambridge into a league which features Waikato and Auckland clubs.
The 2025 league will include Ngāruawāhia, Melville and Hamilton Wanderers – the latter two were relegated from the premier league this season.
Saturday’s win also competed a remarkable league campaign for Cambridge – they won every game.
Halfway there: Cambridge’s women’s team have one foot in the Northern League door.
The women’s team can cap off the perfect season for the club on Sunday – and on home soil when it hosts Onehunga Māngere.
The team celebrated a 1-0 win at Māngere Domain last weekend thanks to a fifth minute strike from Caitlin Varcoe.
Coach Scott Bult might have been thinking it was a case of déjà vu – because the men’s first leg was also settled by a fifth minute goal in Cambridge a week earlier.
His side takes on Onehunga Māngere at John Kerkhof Park on Sunday.
Island celebrations: Cambridge’s men’s team after their 1-0 win over Waiheke United
