Pac-12 Cancels Washington At Cal After Positive COVID-19 Test

WASHINGTON — The Huskies will not be playing in Berkley this weekend after all.

Thursday, Pac-12 leadership announced that the game would be canceled at Cal's request: after one athlete tested positive for the coronavirus, several other teammates were forced to self-isolate, the team did not have enough players available to compete, and asked the the game be called off.

The Pac-12 approved the request, and as a result, the Washington at Cal football game scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled and the match will be declared a no contest. In a statement over Twitter, the Pac-12 elaborated on the decision, saying it was necessary to protect the health and safety of students and their coaches.

Following the announcement, UW Director of Athletics Jen Cohen released a statement expressing disappointment with the decision, but reiterating the need to protect the health and safety of students and staff:

"Our students, coaches and staff have put in incredible amount of hard work to get to this point and we are deeply disappointed they won't have the opportunity to compete Saturday in Berkeley. I'm also disappointed for Husky Nation, they have been so patient and supportive, and we know they couldn't wait to cheer on our Dawgs this weekend. With that said, the policies and protocols developed by the Pac-12, local and state officials placed the health and safety of students, coaches and staff at the forefront. We will now turn our attention to next week and start our preparations for Oregon State."

The cancellation comes amid a season already cut extremely short by the coronavirus pandemic. The match against Cal was to be the first of the team's seven regular season games. Now that it has been called off, the Huskies will play their first match next Saturday, November 14, when they take on Oregon State at Husky Stadium.