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As the fall 2020 semester comes to an end, we’re all looking forward to enjoying our winter break. However, as much as we are excited for next semester, many of us are still questioning whether it is safe to return to campus and the city. Although it is ultimately your own decision, here are some questions to consider while you prepare for next semester.

Coming into the decade, expectations were not extremely high for the men’s soccer program. It had not earned an Ancient Eight crown in 17 years, Ivy League Player of the Year since 1993, and NCAA tournament berth since 1991.

At the start of the decade, the Lions were a consistent bottom-half team in the Ivy League. After a nine-win season in 2010, the Light Blue failed to reach .500 three times this past decade, and didn’t reach the nine-win milestone again until 2017, when coach Tracey Bartholomew built an impressive title-contending team that finished second in the league.

Columbia men’s soccer closed its season with a resounding 4-0 loss to Cornell on Saturday. While the game marked a disappointing end for the Light Blue, first-year midfielder Uri Zeitz and senior midfielder John Denis earned Rookie of the Week and Ivy League Player of the Week awards, respectively.

Sunday afternoon saw men’s soccer crush Harvard University 6-1, making the game a fitting celebration of Senior Day, when the Lions say goodbye to their graduating class. Playing for the last time at home, senior defender Rory Madigan and midfielders John Denis, Matthew Swain, Danny Laranetto, Cyrus Siminou, Vana Markarian, and Nick Marcin proved why they would be missed, as the group accounted for four goals and three assists in their home finale.

Saturday afternoon saw the Ivy League trophy slip out of reach for Columbia men’s soccer, as it fell on the road 2-0 to Yale. Stagnating at five points in the Ivy League, the Lions moved to the fifth position in the Ivy League table, ahead only of Harvard.

On Saturday evening, Columbia men’s soccer went head-to-head with Dartmouth, resulting in a double overtime finish where both sides walked away with a goalless draw. The scoreline marked the end of the second-longest streak of games with a goal in Columbia history after stretching 19 consecutive matches.

On Sunday afternoon, men’s soccer battled Penn in a bid to earn the top spot of the table. However, neither side secured the victory as the game finished in a 1-1 draw after a stagnant double overtime. This marks the second-longest goal-scoring streak in Columbia men’s soccer history of 17 matches. The longest streak was a 24-game stretch in the 1979 season.

Men’s soccer walked away victorious from its first Ivy League match against Brown on Saturday 3-2, marking the third consecutive year that Columbia has won its Ivy opener.

In its final match before opening Ivy League play, Columbia men’s soccer achieved its first home win of the season against Monmouth with a score of 2-0, bouncing back from last week’s 3-1 loss to Long Island University. Friday’s two goals also mean that Columbia has now scored a goal in each of its last 15 matches, its longest stretch of consecutive contests with a goal in over 25 years.