Liz Cheung-Gaffney consistently maintained the representation as a premiere collegiate student-athlete.
Cheung-Gaffney started every game for the Lions at defender in her four years and remains in the program's top-10 in career assists with 12. She was just as impressive of the pitch earning Academic All-Ivy League honors for three consecutive years, (1996, 1997, 1998). In 1998, Cheung-Gaffney won the Connie S. Maniatty Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete Award.
The New Hyde Park, New York, native kicked-off her Columbia career in 1994 as a promising sweeper, starting all 15 games as a first-year tallying five assists and her first career goal in the Lions' win over Drexel. Her defensive impact continued in her sophomore season, earning second team All-Ivy League honors in 1995.
In 1996, the Lion's back leader aided Columba's first winning season in program history with a 12-5-1 overall record. She tallied five assists throughout the year and went on to receive honorable mention All-Ivy League honors. She was also selected to the NSCAA All-Northeast Region third team.
As a senior, Cheung-Gaffney was named co-captain of the 1997 squad. Just before the season, head coach Kevin McCarthy was quoted saying, “She may be the premier one vs. one defender in the league.”
The Columbia soccer standout would cap her career with a first team All-Ivy League selection in 1997, becoming the second Columbia woman to earn such a distinction. She also added a second straight NSCAA All-Northeast Region selection.
In 1998, she was named one of Columbia's representatives for the Ivy League's Silver Anniversary of Women's Athletics Championships all-star soccer team.
