Only slightly terrifying school spirit!

We are now a few weeks into the fall sports season, but how just how deep varies by team. Some, such as volleyball and soccer, began their seasons before even school had begun. Others, are only now kicking off. We bring you what you should pay attention to this week in Columbia athletics, with senior staff writer and long time lion’s enthusiast Max Rettig providing a quick update and the announcement of several home openers, including the start of a new season for what could be a new team.

Men’s Soccer: The team travels to Delaware (3-2-1) on Saturday for its fourth game of the season. The Lions — ranked 24th in the Soccer America poll — have won their first three games, including a double-overtime triumph over No. 18 Providence last weekend and midfielder Rhys Williams took home Ivy League Player of the Week honors after a goal vs. Marist and a key assist vs. Providence. This is the best season start the team has seen since ’11, and it definitely merits attention. The lions are 1-2 in their history against the Delaware Blue Hens.

Men’s Tennis: The Lions won four games at last weekend’s Penn Invitational, defeating Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth, St. John’s, and William & Mary, their closest competition a 4-3 win coming against St. John’s. Though they have lost key player Dragos Ignat following his arrest by the NYPD after a fight at Mel’s, hope is not lost for the team, with Shawn Hadavi excelling, winning three of four No. 1 singles matches. Hadavi played for Columbia vs. NJIT earlier this morning.

Field Hockey: The team goes up against Providence on Sunday, aiming for a season winning record. Though they lost their first two matches to Rider and no. 1 Connecticut, Last weekend the Lions  rebounded, winning two matches vs. Lehigh and Michigan State, with scores of 3-1 and 3-2, respectively.  We will see how they do playing away three games from now; the first six were scheduled for home.

Women’s Soccer: This weekend the Lions will take on Fordham and West Point (Army).The team is 10-5 vs. Fordham in their series history, but have averaged only one goal per game. Women’s soccer is currently 3-2 for the season after last weekend’s victories over Manhattan and Iona, with the score for each coming to 1-0.

Volleyball: The Lions will face Stony Brook, Army and Rhode Island in the Seawolves Invite weekend invitational today and tomorrow. The team is 2-4 on the season.

Women’s Tennis: The Lions will hit the first serves of their season this weekend in Boston at the Harvard Fall Classic. We wish them luck.

Football: The Lions will kick off their first season under new coach Al Bagnoli, with the last game the Lions will play against Fordham. Let’s see how they do.