Led by a hat-trick from first-year midifelder Niklas Hallam, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's soccer team dominated the RMC Paladins with an emphatic 8-0 victory on Saturday (Aug. 31) afternoon at Varsity Stadium.

Toronto set the tone early, with Hallam scoring the opening goal in just the 2nd minute, assisted by Ian Shibata. Hallam quickly continued his scoring spree with another goal in the 9th minute via a scramble in front of the RMC net. The Varsity Blues maintained their aggressive approach, with fellow first-year midfielder Oliver Barta adding a third goal in the 19th minute to give Toronto a commanding 3-0 lead at halftime.

The second half saw no let-up from the Blues as third-year veteran Patrik Geleziunas finished off a beautiful through ball in the 48th minute, extending the lead to 4-0. Hallam completed his hat-trick in the 75th minute, assisted by a chip from Kingsley Belele. Toronto continued to pour on the pressure, with both Shibata and Quinton Chung scoring in the 87th and 88th minutes, before Jacob Prested capped off the scoring in the final minute.

Toronto's relentless attack resulted in 28 total shots, with 18 on target. Meanwhile, the Varsity Blues defence, anchored by the back line of Thomas Tome and Kalvin Alphonsus, along with goalkeeper Maxwell Campeau, conceded just two shots from RMC. Campeau earned the clean sheet.

This dominant performance by the Varsity Blues improves their season record to 2-0-0 (W-L-D), showcasing their offensive firepower with 12 goals scored across their two wins. They will look to keep it going as they next welcome the TMU Bold to Varsity Stadium on Friday, Sept. 6. Kick-off for the rivalry match is scheduled for 8:30 p.m., with tickets available at varsityblues.ca/tickets and the game streamed live and on-demand at oua.tv.