Soccer lovers hit the field on Friday with one goal: raise awareness for suicide prevention.
The tournament has 14 teams, and they hope to raise more than $4,000 for the suicide prevention hotline in Kansas. It runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday.
Legends Soccer Club in Merriam hosted the all-day tournament, but the idea came from high school graduates who wanted to remember their friends.
Cady Housh, Ciara Webb and Caroline Goode were soccer players whose lives ended too soon.
Housh and Webb were juniors and teammates at Olathe Northwest High School. Webb took her life in November 2014. Housh ended hers just two days later.
Goode took her life last summer. She was also a soccer lover and a student at Shawnee Mission North.
The girls played against each other and ran in the same soccer circles.
Now a freshman in college, Meena Allada was close to Housh, and says she was a first player and a great teammate.
"We played on the same soccer team for about six years for the Legends. So I always thought that it was just a good way to honor her because she spent a lot of time here," Allada said.
The main goal is to let young people know they have a place to turn to if they're considering suicide or battling depression.
"It's scary for a lot of people to talk about because it's a sore subject and a sad subject. But letting people know that it'll get better if you're not afraid to talk to people about it, and know what to do when the time comes," Allada said.
All proceeds will help Lawrence-based Headquarters Counseling Center provide support through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
"They take thousands of calls a year and it's pretty sad seeing a big thing like that not have a ton of funding, when in the grand scheme of things it's a big deal," organizer Dylan Kline said.
Sporting KC and FC Kansas City soccer stars Dom Dwyer and Sydney Leroux planned to go and support the cause.
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Sarah Plake can be reached at Sarah.Plake@KSHB.com
