When it comes to the 2007 Ivy League championship, the Columbia women’s soccer team can once again count itself among the top competitors.

In past years, the championship has included the likes of Princeton, Dartmouth, and Yale. But since the ultimately unsuccessful 2005 title race, in which the Lions controlled their own destiny with two games to go, the Columbia team has become a force to contend with. By earning a 6-0-1 record in the Ivy League en route to the program’s first ever conference title last season, Columbia showed that it wasn’t kidding.
Now, with one weekend of Ivy play behind them this year, the Lions can begin to see what they’re up against. They made a strong statement with a 1-0 victory over Brown, but some of the other usual suspects had less convincing showings.

In a seven-game season, going undefeated is nearly a prerequisite for winning the title—three of the past six champions have achieved that feat. A single loss could spell the end of NCAA tournament hopes, too, since the Ivy League is not exactly a magnet for at-large bids. Any more than one loss is enough to squash any title hopes whatsoever: no Ivy champion team in the last six years has had worse than a 5-1-1 record.

So Dartmouth’s loss to Princeton in its season opener might put a severe crimp in its postseason designs. The Big Green, which sat atop the league standings for much of last season, will now find itself chasing the pack if it is to claw its way back into contention.

The Tigers, on the other hand, are riding high. Aside from a home game against Columbia in 10 days, Dartmouth was arguably their toughest opponent, and they came through with flying colors. Princeton is also buoyed by the return of Diana Matheson, their Canadian international who temporarily left the squad to play in the women’s World Cup in China.

Furthermore, the seniors on that Princeton team are the only players who remember the Tigers’ improbable run to the Final Four in 2004. One final chance to reach those heights again is sure to spur them on.

As for Yale, the team is likely better than its 3-4 preseason record indicates. Its schedule did include Duke, North Carolina, the University of Washington, and Portland—four programs that have well-founded national aspirations each season. Still, the Bulldogs needed double overtime to beat a mediocre Harvard side 2-1 on Saturday. Without much seasoned leadership—there are only two seniors in the entire squad—they could struggle down the stretch.

And as last season demonstrated, Ivy titles can be won and lost on the final day. Columbia traveled to Harvard needing to match Dartmouth’s victory to seal the championship. It took the Lions until the 82nd minute to secure the only goal of the game.

This year, Columbia finishes the season at Cornell, but the game that will have the league’s attention is the critical matchup between Yale and Princeton. If that game in itself doesn’t decide the title, then it will probably have direct bearing on Columbia’s hopes.

Of course, this all hinges on the assumption that the top four teams won’t slip up against sides like Brown, Harvard, Penn, and Cornell, though these teams are certainly capable of an upset. But with more parity in the league than there has been in several years, the 2007 Ivy season promises to be close, with its fair share of drama as October spills into November.