The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's soccer team opened their season with a dominant 4-0 victory over the RMC Paladins on Saturday (Aug. 31) afternoon at Varsity Stadium.

The Blues controlled the game from start to finish, overwhelming the Paladins with their relentless offence. Despite a scoreless first half, Toronto outshot RMC 14-2, with the Paladins goalkeeper Brianna West turning aside all five shots on goal to keep the game level.

Toronto's breakthrough came early in the second half when Julia Cristovao scored the opening goal in the 56th minute, assisted by Marissa Castellano. This sparked a flurry of goals for the Blues as Anne Yeomans doubled the lead in the 77th minute, assisted by Naomi Atem, and just two minutes later Hannah Chown converted a penalty kick to extend the lead to 3-0. The final goal came in the 85th minute from Natasha Budisa, who was set up by Antonia Figueroa.

Defensively, the Varsity Blues were rock solid, limiting RMC to just two shots on goal throughout the match. Goalkeeper Juliana Ottoni earned the clean sheet.

Toronto's relentless attack was highlighted by 29 total shots, 18 of which were on target.

With this impressive victory, the Varsity Blues start their season strong, showcasing a balanced attack and solid defense. They will look to build on this momentum as they welcome the TMU Bold to Varsity Stadium next Friday (Sept. 6). Kick-off is scheduled for 6:15 p.m., with tickets available at varsityblues.ca/tickets and all the action streamed online via oua.tv.