EWING, N.J. – Senior Kevin Kiernan notched his second career hat trick, scoring three goals to power the Drew University men's soccer team to a 5-0 victory at The College of New Jersey in a non-conference outing Wednesday evening.
 
The Rangers (3-1-1) led 1-0 at halftime before blowing it open with four second-half goals.
 
Kiernan also scored three goals in Drew's 5-0 victory over DeSales University on Sept. 27 of last season. It was the second hat trick of the season for the Rangers, as sophomore Kevin Martinez netted three goals in Drew's 5-1 win over Hunter College in the team's home opener on Sept. 1.
 
Senior Tino Puentes added three assists – one shy of the school record and the most by a Ranger since Max Correa C'19 also posted three helpers in a 5-1 win over Rutgers-Newark in the 2018 ECAC championship match.
 
Graduate student David Hoyt made one save to earn his second shutout of the season for the Rangers.
 
Drew outshot TCNJ 19-7 for the game.
 
Kiernan provided the Rangers with all the scoring they would need when he struck in the 33rd minute. Freshman Konstantinos Papanikolas set up the tally with a booming pass from the defensive third that hit Kiernan on the run. A couple of quick touches led to a one-on-one with the keeper, and he buried a shot inside the bottom-left corner of the net.
 
In the 52nd minute, sophomore Kevin Martinez made it a 2-0 match when he accepted a short pass from Puentes and chipped in a shot over the goalie.
 
Kiernan then put the match out of reach with a 55th-minute goal. Puentes delivered a cross from the right sideline and hit Kiernan inside the box, where his sliding goal made it 3-0.
 
The Rangers found paydirt again in the 69th minute. Puentes deftly eluded a pair of Lions, dribbled to midfield, then found Kiernan with an equally impressive outlet ball down the center of the field. Racing in unmarked, Kiernan finished it off from just inside the 18.
 
Freshman Alex Fiedoruk capped the scoring when he converted his first collegiate tally in the 85th minute, drilling in a deflected cross from the right.
 
The Rangers continue their season on Saturday, when they host Manhattanville College at 6 p.m. in another non-conference tilt.