As announced by Ontario University Athletics (OUA) on Friday afternoon, the University of Toronto men's soccer program received two major awards as Varsity Blues head coach Ilya Orlov was named OUA East coach of the year and first-year midfielder Niklas Hallam was recognized as the OUA East rookie of the year. In addition, Shon Siegelwachs, Mehdi Essoussi, and Andrea Schifano were all selected as first team all-stars, while Hallam was named a second team all-star.

Orlov led the Blues to a 9-2-1 (W-L-T) record this season, finishing first overall in the OUA East. The regular season record marked the best for the Blues under Orlov's leadership for the past six years. Establishing a blistering offence from early in the season, U of T would go on to lead the province in goals scored with 48. This occurred while also maintaining the defensive reputation Orlov has built over the years with the Blues tying for the least goals allowed in the conference with just 10 goals conceded across 12 regular season contests.

In his first season with the Blues, Hallam appeared in all 12 regular season games. The Victoria, B.C. native tied for the team-high and finished second in the conference with 10 goals, while also adding two assists. Hallam impressed right out of the gate, putting together a five-game scoring streak between Aug. 31-Sept. 15. This included two games with hat-tricks in 8-0 home-and-away wins versus the RMC Paladins this season.

Showcasing himself as one of the premier strikers in the province this season, Schifano tied for the Blues team-high and finished second in the OUA with 10 goals scored. The Palermo, Italy native appeared in all 12 regular season contests this fall, tallying a goal in seven matches. This included a strong push to end the season where he scored a goal in each of the last three games, including a career-best four goals in Toronto's 11-1 regular season finale victory versus Laurentian.

Wearing the captain's band in the midfield, Essoussi was vital to the leadership of the Blues on the pitch this fall. Appearing in all 12 games this season, the engineering major tallied two goals and two assists, while serving as the primary transition piece between the U of T defensive and offensive zones. This was in addition to his work as a key part of the Blues set-piece attack.

Finally, earning OUA all-star honours for the third time in his U of T career so far, Sieglwachs continued to prove himself as a defensive stopper. The fourth-year veteran has previously earned second team recognition in 2022 and first team honours in 2023. In addition to his work in the defensive side of the pitch, he also added an assist this season.

The complete list of 2024 OUA East men's soccer award winners and all-stars is as follows:

Most Valuable Player – Kairo Coore, Ontario Tech
Rookie of the Year – Niklas Hallam, Toronto
Coach of the Year – Ilya Orlov, Toronto
Community Service Award – Yusuf Osman, Carleton

First Team All-Stars
Goalkeeper – Kevon Grant, Ontario Tech
Defender – Alexander Irwin, Ontario Tech
Defender – Brady Curkovic, Carleton
Defender – Akeim Villous, TMU
Defender – Shon Sieglwachs, Toronto
Midfielder – Mehdi Essoussi, Toronto
Midfielder – Jack Sears, Ontario Tech
Midfielder – Yusuf Osman, Carleton
Striker – Kairo Coore, Ontario Tech
Striker – Andrea Schifano, Toronto
Striker – Osuman Maheshe, Carleton

Second Team All-Stars
Goalkeeper – Dane Ferraro, TMU
Defender – Ainsley Bryan, Trent
Defender – Josh Crete, Queen's
Defender – Julian Srock, Nipissing
Midfielder – Chris Campoli, TMU
Midfielder – Niklas Hallam, Toronto
Midfielder – Adam N'Goran, Carleton
Midfielder – Leo Frans, Trent
Striker – Jevontae Layne, TMU
Striker – Warren Chambers, Trent
Striker – Timi Aliu, Laurentian