Lady Eagles soccer forced to cancel game due to COVID-19

The Oklahoma Christian University women’s soccer team was forced to cancel their second game of the season versus Washburn University on Saturday, Sept. 11 due to COVID-19 concerns. 

According to head coach Evan Dresel the team had one positive COVID-19 case. Due to contact tracing many players were unable to play the game. 

Junior Naomi Reagan spoke on her initial feelings when receiving the news.

“I was disappointed because we worked so hard and then suddenly this happened,” Reagan said. 

Senior Thalia Delgado said she is moving on and looking toward the upcoming games. 

“I didn’t really have any emotions,” Delgado said. “Of course I was disappointed the game was cancelled, but it’s a way of life nowadays.”

Per NCAA and Oklahoma Christian COVID-19 procedures, close contact cases have to go into quarantine for five days until testing negative before returning to the team. The one positive case is in quarantine for 10 days. 

“Individuals who were quarantined have to dig deep and work on on their own to make up for missing practices,” Reagan said. “At the same time other players have to step up and fill in different roles.”

Delgado said the cancellation is a setback but she is confident they will come back strong. 

“We will have to put in more work to make up for the ones that are not with us,” Delgado said. “It definitely is a bump in the road, but we will continue to move on and recover.”

The team will continue to follow Oklahoma Christian and NCAA guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as regular testing for unvaccinated team members, mask wearing and being mindful of where they sit on the bus.

“People are more cautious and aware that something could happen at any time,” Delgado said.

Head coach Evan Dresel said the team has recovered well from the COVID-19 scare saying that the team has moved past it and is looking to continue the season. 

“The past three or four games we have shown massive improvements,” Dresel said. “Of course, we were disappointed to have the Washburn game cancelled with some COVID-19 issues but I’m proud of how the team has responded and bounced back.”

The Lady Eagles got their first win of the year on Sept. 25 with a 2-1 victory over the University of Texas-Tyler. Their next match is on Wednesday, Sept. 29 against Texas Woman’s University at 7 p.m.