Teri Hebert and Tiffany McFarland are longtime best-friends and both have a daughter who is playing soccer for Lamar University. 
So when the Cardinals came into Baton Rouge on Friday to play against LSU in the Tigers home opener, the duo brought a ton of energy with them. Ultimately, the Tigers beat the Cardinals 2-0, but Hebert and McFarland were still in high- spirits following the game.
“We wanna win,” Hebert said. “Yes we wanna battle and do better and make a goal but it was fun.”
But outside of the match, much more was weighing on their minds.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas on Friday. The category-four hurricane has caused destruction along Texas’ coast. The threat of further damage looms over Southeastern Texas, which is where McFarland, Hebert and those who attend Lamar University reside.
“I know we’re a disaster area,” Hebert said. “We’ll be helping out at our churches and praying. Our community is amazing. Everyone comes together during times like this. It’s a hard time.”
So when the Cardinals came into Baton Rouge two days earlier than expected to play the Tigers, it was a reminder of what those in and around Baton Rouge suffered through during the “1000 year flood”.
“We’re certainly always sympathetic of the people going through it,” LSU Soccer head coach Brian Lee said. “No-one knows their situation better than we do.”
“We’re happy that they were able to come and play us and play soccer, the game we all love and kinda focus away from the hurricane and just focus in on this game,” Junior goalkeeper Caroline Brockmeier said.
“I was glad that we came and it was a stress reliever because it makes us happy to see the kids on the field,” McFarland said.
While LSU and Lamar may have been rivals on the pitch Friday night, the two communities are companions when it comes to overcoming adversity.
“We’re all here and we all know what to do and we can help each-other through that,” Hebert said. “Empathy is the word. We all have empathy for each-other.”