NEWARK, N.J. - Tournament MVP Nate Race netted his first career hat trick and the Drew University men's soccer team used an explosive first half to claim the ECAC Division III title with a 5-1 victory at Rutgers-Newark Sunday evening. It was the seventh ECAC crown for the Rangers, who scored all five of their goals in the first half. Senior Max Correa added a career-high three assists for the Rangers (15-6), who ended the season on a four-game winning streak by running the table at ECACs. 

How it Happened: The Rangers (15-6) executed extremely well early on with excellent passing and finishing, starting with goals from Race and junior Aidan Cserhat in the 17th and 18th minutes. Correa provided the assist on both tallies. Race continued to heat up in the 24th minute, finishing off a feed from Cserhat, before netting his third goal just over four minutes later on a scramble following a corner kick. Correa provided the initial pass while senior Alexi Velazquez also provided a touch. Junior Matt Asante capped the surge in the 39th minute when he took a pass from senior Niko Cserhat and buried the team's fifth and final goal. The Scarlet Raiders would fire off 13 shots in the second half, but only one found the back of the net, as junior goalie Jason Adamo made three of his four saves in the period.

Stat Sheet: Rutgers finished with a 17-10 shot advantage, though just five of their shots were on frame. The Raiders also held a 5-1 edge in corner kicks. Only 13 total fouls were called.

All-Tournament Team: Race was also named to the All-Tournament Team, finishing with five goals and two assists over four games. He was joined on the team by Correa (4a), Aidan Cserhat (4g, 1a), Niko Cserhat (1g, 2a), and junior Andy Imoh (3g). 

Notes: Drew previously claimed the ECAC title in 1975, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, and 2009...Race's hat trick was the second in as many years for the Rangers...Aidan Cserhat also scored three goals in a 9-2 win at FDU-Florham last season...Correa finished the year with 13 assists, which places him in a tie for third in program history...It's also the most since Bryan Keane also had 13 in 1995...Correa dished out 26 career assists for his career, which also ranks him third all-time at Drew and are the most by a Ranger since Gerry McGrath had 29 from 1973-75.

Thank You, Seniors: Drew's senior class of seven went out on a high note and finished their careers with a tremendous 61-18-7 record. They qualified for the postseason four years in a row, and in addition to their ECAC title, they also claimed a Landmark Conference crown in 2017, when they reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Tournament.