NEW YORK - The Columbia lacrosse team earned its biggest victory in third-year Head Coach
Anne Murray's tenure on Wednesday evening, taking down Big East foe Villanova on a rainy night at Kraft Field.
The Lions defeated the Wildcats, 14-12, without trailing the entire contest. First-year
Anna Becker found the back of the net just 90 seconds into the game, and then scored again less than 30 seconds later to give Columbia a quick 2-0 lead. The Lions led the game for 58 minutes and 30 seconds, as the defense fought through the pouring rain to never allow Villanova to tie the score all night.
This was Columbia's first win over Villanova in program history, and just the third win of all-time against a Big East opponent. It was the first win against a Big East team since 2019 when the Lions took down UConn in New York City. Despite the Wildcats' 2-4 record heading into Wednesday's game, three of those losses came against ranked teams. Villanova was picked to finish third in the conference in the 2024 Big East Preseason Poll.
"This was such an incredible win for our team and this program," Murray said. "We followed the game plan, we trusted each other, and we fought so hard. It was great to see players step up offensively, as that unit really played together and celebrated each other. On the defensive side, we came up with great stops and held them to long possessions. That group gets better and better every game. Enough can't be said about our team effort coming from the sideline as well, they really brought they energy all night and it was electric!"
Thanks to the jolt from Becker in the first two minutes of the game, the Lions had a quick lead. However, that would not be nearly all the scoring as both defenses struggled to find their footing on the wet turf to begin the game. Columbia and Villanova combined for 12 first-quarter goals, while Becker tallied a first-quarter hat trick to help the Lions take a 7-5 lead into the second quarter.
It was a tail of two quarters on defense, as both back lines stepped up in a big way in the second quarter which continued throughout the rest of the game. Both sides could only muster one goal in the second period, with Columbia's coming from
Dani Falcone four minutes in. It looked like the Lions were going to shutout the Wildcats in the quarter, but Sophia Corretjer was able to score with just over a minute to go. Columbia took an 8-6 lead into halftime.
The Lions traded goals with Villanova for much of the third quarter. The Wildcats cut Columbia's lead to one goal twice, but both times Falcone was able to answer with a goal. But again with just over a minute to play in the quarter, it was Villanova who scored a late goal to keep the pressure on the Lions heading into the fourth quarter.
Columbia's defense protecting a one-goal lead in the final frame was astounding. Villanova was rarely able to get any action headed toward the net for the majority of the remainder of the game. This allowed the Lions to rattle off three unanswered goals to take a 13-9 lead. As the clock ticked, the Wildcats were able to cut the deficit to two, but that would be as close as they would get as
Cecelia Messner iced the game with her team-high ninth goal of the season to clinch the massive victory for Columbia.
"We are proud of this team, and each and every one of these players," Murrray said. "We have more work to do and we are getting ready for another Ivy matchup at Cornell on Saturday."
The Lions will have a quick turnaround, hitting the road to take on the Big Red in an Ivy League contest on Saturday in Ithaca. Columbia will seek its first Ivy League win, with the game scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
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