Hurricane Rita forced universities in southeastern Texas to cancel and reschedule athletic events, two of which will affect the TCU women’s soccer team.Head soccer coach Dan Abdalla said the game at Rice, scheduled for Friday, has been canceled, and the game at home against Sam Houston State, scheduled for Sunday, is postponed until next week.
“The impending hurricane has caused us to take a step back,” he said. “We are most concerned with the well-being and safety of the players, their families and anyone near the hurricane.”
The TCU vs. Rice soccer game scheduled for Friday in Houston was canceled and will not be rescheduled, said Brandie Davidson, athletics media relations assistant.
“These things happen,” Abdalla said. “Athletic teams have different hurdles and difficulties they have to deal with.”
He said he is trying to schedule another game this weekend against a team that has not been impacted.
The soccer team may have an in-team scrimmage to keep in shape and ready despite the cancellation, Abdalla said. The most important thing to worry about, he said, is the safety of the players.
TCU’s game against Sam Houston has been moved to Sept. 30, Davidson said.
Sam Houston athletics director Bobby Williams said he was concerned about the university’s student-athletes traveling this weekend.
“There is a Category 5 hurricane coming our way,” he said. “We don’t know if it will be safe to leave and return to the area at this time.”
Williams said Sam Houston’s home football game against Missouri State still had not been canceled, but it will most likely be canceled as well.
According to the Texas A&M Athletic Web site, the home football game against Texas State this weekend has been moved to Thursday evening.
The volleyball match against Texas has been postponed, and a make-up date will be set today.
Houston posted on its Web site that its game against Southern Mississippi has been rescheduled for either Nov. 12 or Nov. 13. The university has postponed or canceled all events in volleyball, women’s soccer, women’s tennis and men’s golf, according to the Web site.
