MADISON, N.J. – Christa Racine, the Drew University women's soccer head coach for the last 30 years, will resign from her coaching role and focus solely on her duties as the school's director of athletics.
Racine spent a total of 31 years on the Rangers' sideline, including one as an assistant coach, and built a winning program that accumulated 290 victories, 18 conference playoff appearances, seven ECAC playoff appearances, two conference titles, and two NCAA Division III tournament berths. She became Drew's AD in the spring of 2017 after serving as the school's associate director of athletics and senior woman administrator.
A national search for a new women's soccer head coach is underway.
"It has been an amazing journey. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to coach and connect with so many extraordinary young women," said Racine. "While I am excited to focus on supporting all of our athletics programs, Drew women's soccer will always be part of my identity."
Racine arrived at the Forest just months after graduating from Rutgers University, where she was a standout on the women's soccer team. She served as an assistant women's soccer coach at Drew in the program's seventh year of existence in 1993 before taking over as head coach one year later.
Racine made an immediate impact, as the Rangers set a program record for victories (14) in her first season at the helm in 1994, when she was selected as Division III Coach of the Year by the Soccer Coaches Association of New Jersey. Two years later, she was honored as the MAC Freedom Conference Coach of the Year after her squad again broke the team record for wins, finishing 17-5. That team also made history as the first Drew women's soccer team to go undefeated in conference play (6-0) and reach the conference championship game.
In 1997, Racine guided her squad to its first conference title, as the Rangers captured the MAC Freedom Conference crown with a 1-0 win over Elizabethtown. The team finished 17-4-1 and made the program's inaugural appearance in the NCAA Championships.
Racine captured her second coach of the year honor in 2005, when she was feted by the MAC Freedom Conference following a 13-5 campaign. She helped Drew transition into a new conference when the Landmark Conference was formed in 2007, and in 2013 she steered the Rangers to their second conference title in thrilling fashion. In the Landmark Conference final, the team won a penalty-kick shootout with Scranton after the two sides played to a 1-1 tie, sending the Rangers to their second appearance in the NCAA Championships.
In 2010, Racine helped guide the Rangers to their first-ever ECAC title with a 1-0 victory over SUNY Brockport.
Drew continued to flourish under Racine during her final seasons, as the Rangers reached the Landmark Conference playoffs in each of the last two years and advanced to the championship game in 2022.
Racine also coached her student-athletes to individual success, as 59 Rangers earned all-conference honors under her direction, including 18 who also captured all-region accolades.
During her last seven years as the helm, Racine had the opportunity to coach each of her daughters – Sarah C'21 and Rebecca C'24.
