For Columbia, Progress is Measured Differently

Anne Murray knew the Columbia job would be the most daunting task of her coaching career when she accepted the role in July 2021.

While she’d spent nearly a decade with perennial Ivy League contender Princeton as both a player and assistant coach, nothing could truly prepare Murray for the reality in New York City’s Upper West Side.

“The thing we tell recruits and new coaches in interviews when we’re considering them is that this is going to be very difficult,” Murray said. “This is going to challenge you unlike you’ve ever been challenged. You’re going to hit a bottom, and you’re going to rise to the top. I don’t know what preps you for that type of situation.”

Five seasons into her tenure, Murray secured her first Ivy League win as a head coach on April 25, with the Lions knocking off Harvard 11-10 in overtime. With the victory, Columbia wrapped up a 7-8 season, its winningest year since 2017.

Junior attacker Anna Becker, a player who Columbia associate head coach Shannon Nee regularly saw fine-tuning her craft on the Bronxville High School turf at 7:30 a.m. during Nee’s morning commutes to campus, delivered the golden goal.

“Anna Becker doesn’t doubt herself, and she’s been that way ever since she got on campus,” Murray said. “She’s an incredibly contagious personality. She’s beyond authentic to who she is. She plays so light, and yet she’s so incredibly competitive.”

Mere months after accepting the job, Murray offered Becker the opportunity to transform a program. Becker recorded 43 goals and 11 assists in 2026, earning second-team All-Ivy League honors. The 54th and final point of her junior campaign was a goal she’ll never forget.

Entering its season finale, Columbia had dropped 34 consecutive Ivy League games, dating back to April 13, 2019. For Murray, markers of progress beyond the win-loss column took root in the weight room and extra work players poured in outside of practice.

“When I came here, there was not a lot of extra work that was going on,” Becker said. “I didn’t know going early was an option, which kind of sounds crazy. Everyone always worked hard in the weight room, but it’s nothing like what it is today. It’s a good indicator of how far we’ve come as a program.”

Murray experienced several close calls on the path to conference victory No. 1 — none more so than a 13-12 loss to Brown three weeks prior.

A monumental result appeared well within reach when the Lions took a two-goal lead over the Crimson with less than five minutes remaining. But Harvard sent the game to overtime, leaving Columbia on the brink of heartbreak.

“Coach drew up a play and told us exactly what to do,” Becker said. “She said, ‘We know what to do, we’ve been here before, I love you guys and let’s finish this.’ Immediately, everyone just lit up. Everyone had these huge smiles because we all believed so much. There wasn’t any panic. It was total, complete trust.”

As the shot clock dwindled in the Lions’ final overtime possession, Becker received a back-shoulder feed from freshman midfielder Lilah Kirch and fired the ball into the top-right corner of the cage.

By the time the nearest official conducted the stick check, a barrage of teammates had already stormed the field, exchanging hugs and reveling in the moment of a Columbia victory.

“My first reaction after the game was, ‘Stop running on the field because they haven’t checked the stick,’” Murray said. “I don’t know if it’s fully hit me yet because I was just sitting there watching them. I gave [Nee] probably six hugs because I’m so proud of her belief and her work. She is the heart of this program.”

The players soon rushed over to the stands, sharing the jubilation with scores of alumni who returned to Commisso Soccer Stadium for the occasion. For the team’s seniors, the matchup with the Crimson marked their final shot at an Ivy League win. They were sure to commemorate the milestone in style.

“All the girls who have come before us have really laid the foundation of what Columbia lacrosse is today,” Becker said. “I’m so grateful for that and everyone who’s come before me and just totally changed around this program.”

The tenor of Murray’s exit meetings has revolved around a simple message.

While years of work and resilience led to the Lions’ win over Harvard, Murray views the game as a launching point for returning players to build upon as they redefine what success looks like within the program.

“For this team to be able to perform the way that they did, hit this massive achievement and get this monkey off our back, very few coaches get to witness a team do something like that,” Murray said.

“Winning is great, but winning that way — having something that’s historic, so difficult that so many people doubt is possible — and you holding the vision and accomplishing it, I likened it to people winning a conference championship. That’s the massive success for our program right now. I just think about being really lucky as a coach to see the players realize that.”