RICHMOND, R.I. (WHDH/AP) — A prayer vigil took place Monday on a Rhode Island high school’s soccer field, the same spot where a player had collapsed.
Chariho Regional School District Superintendent Barry Ricci said 17-year-old senior Maddie Potts collapsed during a soccer match on Saturday and died at the hospital of a brain aneurysm on Sunday.
He said in a statement that her death was unrelated to the game.
Flags were flown at half staff in Potts’ honor.
“We should all be so lucky to die while participating in the activity we have the most passion for. She left her soul on that 30 yard line,” Potts mother said during the vigil.
Potts was captain of the soccer team, a member of the school’s lacrosse team and a top student.
In a statement, Ricci said Potts “represented the very best of our school as an artist, an athlete, a classmate, a teammate and a friend.”
Counseling is available to students and staff in the middle and high schools for as long as it’s needed, Ricci added.
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