Devin Murray was a major contributor to a run of success for the Deer Lakes boys soccer team that produced a WPIAL championship, a WPIAL runner-up finish, three PIAA tournament appearances and two trips to the state championship game in a three-year period.
The 2021 Deer Lakes graduate returned to the program as the middle school coach and a varsity assistant in 2022, lending his expertise to the next series of Lancers standouts.
Now, Murray is ready to keep the program at a high level as the varsity head coach.
He officially was hired last Tuesday and takes the reins from Aaron Smith, who stepped down for family reasons after five seasons at the helm. Murray said he is excited to continue giving back to a program that gave him so much as he made a name for himself in the sport.
“This is something that has been thought about for a while with it being a plan or a goal for some day,” Murray said. “We have a good group of guys moving forward. It is like that every year with losing incredible talent but also having others return or come up with the desire and ability to keep the program at a high level.
“It continues to set the standard with our culture. Nothing is going to change. We look forward to continuing to compete at the highest level with every class that comes in. I love to work with all of these good guys in the program.”
Smith, Murray and the rest of the Lancers coaching staff this past fall oversaw a team that met the standard in the form of the program’s third WPIAL championship and the third since Murray’s senior season in 2020.
Led by Valley News Dispatch Player of the Year Colin Rodgers, a senior; All-WPIAL performers in seniors Peyton Kushon, Jacob Orseno and Zane Spence; and junior all-section all-star Artemey Parshyn, Deer Lakes went 20-3-1 in 2025, defeated Beaver, 3-2, in the WPIAL Class 2A final at Highmark Stadium and advanced to the PIAA semifinals before losing to state-tournament nemesis Fairview.
“The program is in very good hands with Devin,” Smith said. “When I first met him, you could tell how much he cared for the program and how much he wanted to be involved and connected for a very long time. To work with him the past few years, he’s been fantastic. He took an even bigger role this past year with the team.”
Murray, playing under the direction of former Deer Lakes coach Dan Yates, was a multi-time All-WPIAL performer with the Lancers and capped his high school career with an all-state nod.
In the midfield, he scored 14 goals and added 12 assists as a senior as Deer Lakes scored a penalty shootout victory over Shady Side Academy in the title game at North Allegheny before making a run to Hershey.
“Those were honestly really great times,” Murray said. “The most memorable moments were just knowing that my teammates became like family. It became a culture of winning because it was that family atmosphere. We would do whatever we could for each other. We made some great bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime.
“Now, as a coach, I hope the boys that I have coached and will coach in the future will make those same type of bonds and friendships.”
As Murray began to transition to collegiate soccer at Division II Mercyhurst for the fall 2021 season, Deer Lakes was transitioning from Yates, who accepted a coaching position at Robert Morris in the spring of 2021, to Smith, who came in a couple of months later after a long tenure as the girls coach at Valley.
During that intermediate period, Murray helped with the Lancers’ offseason workouts. He and Smith connected, and Murray stayed close to the program while at school in Erie.
But he decided to make an academic change to a year at Butler County Community College.
A work injury slowed his progress in the sport, and he spent the better part of two years recovering and trying to get fit again.
While thinking his playing career might be over, Murray got into his work, completed his degree and coached at the club level at Steel City FC. He also was reunited with Smith and was hired as a Deer Lakes assistant and the middle school head coach in the fall of 2022.
“We started to build a relationship, and I would watch games online when I was up at Mercyhurst,” Murray said. “When I came back that offseason (of 2022) we started getting after it again.”
Murray got a chance to revive his playing career in the fall of 2023 at Penn State New Kensington.
PSNK coach Mark Duffield and Murray connected as coaches with Steel City, and Duffield encouraged Murray to give it a go for the Lions.
“I was able to get somewhat fit after my injury and enjoyed a year at Penn State,” Murray said.
Murray appeared and started in 16 games and scored a team-best 16 goals while adding seven assists to help PSNK to a 12-5-1 overall record, a 7-0-1 mark in Penn State University Athletic Conference play and a spot in the PSUAC championship game.
He was named PSUAC Co-Rookie of the Year, was selected to the conference first-team and was voted a United States Collegiate Athletic Association first-team All-American.
“Take away the fact that Devin is a great player, he is an even better person,” Duffield told the Trib during Murray’s standout 2023 season with the Lions. “He’s gained the respect of not only his peers but also the coaching staff. When you play with someone like Devin, it takes you to that next level.”