Women’s basketball dropped two games to undefeated opponents Stony Brook University and the University of Missouri this week, but regained composure with a close win against Rider University, who has yet to see a victory.

Women's basketball kickstarted the 2021-22 season with three high-scoring victories, beating Hampton 78-56 in the home opener and defeating Davidson 87-78. The Lions wrapped up their Carolina road trip with a thrilling 82-78 fourth-quarter comeback win over ACC opponent Clemson University on Sunday afternoon. The win against the Tigers was only the team’s second time defeating an ACC opponent.

Women’s basketball welcomed fans back to Levien Gymnasium on Sunday after 20 months without games due to the coronavirus pandemic, earning a statement win against Division III New York University. The game was hopeless for the Violets, as the Light Blue seized complete control of the pace from tipoff until the final buzzer in this 89-55 exhibition match victory.

After a 1-0 loss to Princeton last week, Columbia women’s soccer continued conference play in New Hampshire on Saturday, securing a 3-2 victory over Dartmouth in an action-packed game.

After finally scoring its first Ivy League goal in last week’s 2-0 victory against Penn (7-3-2, 2-2 Ivy), Columbia women’s soccer (7-5-1, 1-3-0 Ivy) split its games against Adelphi and Princeton, routing Adelphi 6-0 but falling to the Tigers in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss.

After two consecutive Ivy League games without scoring, the Columbia women’s soccer team was finally able to score and win its first Ivy game after head coach Tracey Bartholomew worked her magic in practice and changed her shoes—which she said may have been the real problem all along.

After its first two games of the Ivy League season, Columbia women’s soccer is still looking for its first goal. On Saturday afternoon, the Lions (5-4-1, Ivy 0-2-0) were stunned by Brown (7-3-0, Ivy, 2-0-0) after allowing two goals and missing a penalty in the defeat. The Light Blue was ranked No. 33 in the nation a week ago, but have since fallen to 71st, and the team’s road ahead remains bumpy.

Saturday was the Lions’ chance to prove the value of their preseason success, but the soccer team fell to Cornell after a disappointing and disorganized performance below the team’s capability.

As a child, junior swimmer Clare Larsen loved to play sports. Despite her passion, however, she always thought of sports as a boys’ world, and the male-dominated culture initially discouraged her from chasing her dreams of Division I recruitment. The message from people around her, Larsen said, was that “sports are healthy for a young woman, but [they’re] not necessarily something that you pursue.”

Although students often spend Sunday nights alone, working on next week’s homework to make up for a weekend spent with friends, Matthew Wang, Columbia College junior and president of the Columbia eSports team, spends the night on Discord with more than 200 other members. At first glance, the server may seem quiet—nobody is constantly chatting or playing music when in fact, everyone is immersed in gaming as shown in their profiles: League of Legends and Overwatch scrimmages, or their nightly game of Minecraft or Hearthstone.