WASHINGTON, DC - Freshman Alexa Krause netted her first career hat trick, scoring three goals to lift the Drew University women's soccer team to a 4-1 victory at Catholic University in a Landmark Conference (LC) match Saturday afternoon.

Krause scored two goals in the opening 10 minutes, giving the Rangers a 2-0 lead, then applied the finishing touches when she scored the game's final goal midway through the second half. She posted Drew's first hat trick since Emma Campbell C'16 scored three goals in a 4-4 tie at Moravian on Oct. 31, 2015.

The Rangers (6-5-1, 1-1-1 LC) posted their first Landmark Conference victory of the season while Catholic (5-6-1, 0-3 LC) remained winless in conference play.

Krause's goals were the difference in an otherwise evenly-played match. Catholic held a 15-14 edge in shots while Drew managed a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks. Both sides were whistled for 10 fouls.

Krause put the Rangers on the scoreboard in the second minute when she took a throw-in from the left sideline, dribbled to the center of the field, and arced a perfectly-placed shot into the upper-right corner of the net.

A breakaway led to Drew's second goal. Sophomore Rebecca Racine initiated the tally when she rolled a long ball from midfield to Krause, who raced down the pass and suddenly found herself alone with the keeper. She booted a shot to the goalie's right, just inside the left post to push her team's lead to 2-0.

Less than two minutes later, the Cardinals cut the deficit in half with a goal. However, both sides settled in defensively and the Rangers carried a 2-1 lead into halftime.

Drew restored its two-goal lead in the 57th minute, when sophomore Jessie Brannick headed in a corner kick from junior Gabby Gilgorri. 

Nine minutes later, Krause found herself on a breakaway once again after taking another long pass from Racine. She dribbled into the box, sidestepped a defender, and ripped a shot into the lower-left corner of the net, setting the final score with her seventh goal of the season.

Defensively, junior Anthi Panayides made five saves to earn the victory for the Rangers.

Drew resumes its Landmark Conference schedule on Wednesday, when it hosts 22nd-ranked University of Scranton at 7 p.m.