Following a 40-point victory over Hendrix College, the Washington University football team was scheduled to play winless Maranatha Baptist University, giving the Bears good position to build their first winning streak of the season, but the game was cancelled last week.

Maranatha’s forfeit was its second of the year. The cancellation of the game took away an almost sure-win for the Bears, as Maranatha Baptist had a 0-6 record and had lost its games by a whopping 45.4 points per game on average.

“Playing a football game with such a small roster would pose a significant risk to Maranatha’s team, and competing against tired and injured players is a risk to our players as well. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our fans and parents, especially those who had already made arrangements to travel long distances for the game,” Wash. U. Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said in a press release.

To replace the cancelled game, Wash. U. added a game against Alfred State College on Nov. 8 under the lights at Francis Field. Alfred State is in its second year as a Division III program and currently has a 2-4 record, though it is 0-4 against Division III opponents.

“We are excited to add a 10th game and to provide our football student-athletes with the opportunity to play a full schedule,” Whitman said in a press release on Wednesday. “Between last week’s cancellation and now adding a game less than three weeks before it happens, it has been an unusual fall, but it is ending well for all involved.”

What’s ahead:

The Bears (2-4 record) begin the journey to defend their University Athletic Association title when they go on the road to face the University of Chicago in the Founders Cup on Saturday. Last season, the Red and Green defeated Chicago 17-7 at Francis Field to clinch their second consecutive UAA title and extend their conference-winning streak to seven games. To wrap up the season, Wash. U. hosts Case Western Reserve University and Alfred State before heading to Carnegie Mellon University on Nov. 15 for the season finale.