The No. 4 Varsity Blues shut out the RMC Paladins 5-0 to claim the top spot in the OUA East on Sunday, September 12 at Varsity Centre.

The Blues (3-0-1) dominated the entire game, outshooting RMC 17-0.

The game got off to a quick start when U of T defender Yannis Gianniotis was awarded a penalty kick in just the third minute of play. RMC goalkeeper Jeremy Whalen (Lawrencetown, N.S.) came up with a big stop; however, fourth-year Blues striker Nordo Gooden finished off his first of a game-high seven shots on the very next play to put the Blues up 1-0.

Alex Raphael would score one of his own in the 13th minute after receiving a pass from second-year midfielder Ryan Sciacchitano and slipping the ball past Whalen.

In the 26th minute, first-year midfielder Ezequiel Lubocki of Winnipeg sent a corner kick into traffic and Blues co-captain Darragh McGee was there to tally his first goal of the season. The Donegal, Ireland native sent a hard shot into the bottom left corner of the net to give Toronto a three-goal lead at the half.

The Blues continued to pressure throughout the second half. Just one minute after a McGee free kick sailed wide of the net, Fanny Bay, B.C. native Dylan Bams came streaking down the middle and headed a perfectly placed cross from Gooden to widen the gap to four.

The ball rarely came out of Paladins territory as Sciacchitano nearly extended the lead further in the 75th minute when he rang one off the cross bar and Bams sent one just over the next three minutes later.

Blues rookies Jean Giroux (Montreal) and Brian Mittag (Courtice, Ont.) came off the bench and quickly created some strong scoring chances. In the 80th minute, some quick passes between the pair led to Giroux’s first goal as a Varsity Blue and capped off Toronto’s five-goal victory.

The Varsity Blues travel to Kingston, Ont. next weekend where they will again take on the RMC Paladins. Game time is scheduled for 3:15 p.m.

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