Should team heed Muslims' request to bar woman?

Q. One of the Lions, a team in our recreational men's soccer league, approached us officials about a female player on the Dream Center, the team they'd face next. Several of the Lions are Muslim, he said, and their religion forbids contact with a woman in this way, and they wanted to avoid the possibility of injuring her. And they did join a men's league. The Dream Center's manager said that the Lions could forfeit if they wished. Should we back his decision? Bar that player for this game? Change the matchups to avoid the conflict? — Andy Zmugg and Craig Meller, Peoria, Ill.