Murphy and Hallam named OUA athletes of the week

Burlington, Ont. – Samantha Murphy and Niklas Hallam have been named OUA athletes of the week for the period ending September 8th, 2024.

Samantha Murphy, Soccer, Wilfrid Laurier

It was a memorable home debut for fourth-year Golden Hawk forward Samantha Murphy on Sunday afternoon. After assisting on the Golden Hawks’ opening goal just two minutes into their match against Algoma, the education major from Aurora, Ont., scored the next four goals in Laurier's eventual 6-0 win. Murphy secured her hat-trick in a span of eight minutes, between the fifth and 13th minute. She capped off the three goals in stellar fashion, scoring an Olimpico off the corner kick.

She added her fourth and final goal with 12 minutes remaining in the first half, matching Lexi Kroeker as the last Golden Hawk to score four goals in a game, which occurred almost a year to the day against the same opposition.

With her offensive output, Murphy now sits tied for second in OUA scoring.

Niklas Hallam, Soccer, Toronto

Hallam, a first-year kinesiology major, has made an immediate impact for the Varsity Blues in his OUA debut campaign, adding another three goals to his early season tally.

Hallam sparked Toronto’s comeback, scoring two goals, including the game-winner versus the nationally ranked TMU Bold in a 3-2 win on Friday night. The dynamic player then added another goal in the Sunday rematch at TMU, trying to once again spark a comeback, but coming up just shy in a 2-1 loss.

The Victoria, B.C. native now has six goals in four matches, sitting tied for the OUA scoring lead.