Julia Benati

College career In 2014, Benati began attending the University of Buffalo, where she played for the women's soccer team. She scored her first goal in her debut on August 22, 2014, in a 1-0 victory over the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. At the end of her first season, she was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team. 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. In 2016, she was once again named to the All-MAC Second Team and earned Academic All-MAC honours once again. At the end of her senior season, Benati was named to the All-MAC First Team, All-Midwest Region Third Team, Academic All-MAC, and Academic All-District. 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.

Club career In 2016, Benati began playing with FC London in League1 Ontario. In 2016, she was named to the mid-season league all-star team that played the PLSQ All-Star team and was named a league Second Team All-Star at the end of the season. In 2017, she was named a league Third Team All-Star. In 2018, she was named a league First Team All-Star. In 2019, Benati was named the league's Midfielder of the Year and a First Team All-Star. In 2021, she once again was named the league's Top Midfielder and a First Team All-Star. In 2022, she became team captain

In August 2022, Benati signed with Norwegian club Medkila in the top tier 1. divisjon.

In January 2023, she signed with Portuguese club Valadares Gaia in the Campeonato Nacional Feminino.

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. In 2024, she was again named the league Midfielder of the Year and a First Team All-Star.

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. On May 15, 2025, she scored her first goal in a 3-0 victory over Vancouver Rise FC. She featured mainly as a substitute for the Rapid, scoring three goals and adding one assist, in 23 appearances.

On January 14, 2026, it was announced that Benati had signed with NSL side Halifax Tides FC for the 2026 season.

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. 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."

Career statistics

Honours Club FC London League Champions: 2016, 2017, 2019 League Cup Champions: 2017, 2024

Individual L1O MVP: 2022 L1O Midfielder of the Year: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024 L1O All-Star: First Team: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024 Second Team: 2016 Third Team: 2017