UNC Women's Soccer dedicates game to mental health awareness

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- The UNC women's soccer team dedicated Thursday night's game against Florida State to raising awareness about mental health.

The team thought it was the right thing to do especially in light of three recent suicides on campus in just the last six weeks.

"As a soccer team, we have a platform," said Madi Pry, a midfielder from Pinehurst, who helped organize the event. "We have Twitter and Instagram and we have a ton of followers."

The team wrote and hung 40 green posters around the stadium with messages of support.

Green is the color for mental health awareness.

Fans could also take and blow up a yellow balloon as they entered Dorrance Field and write the name of someone who has gone through mental health struggles.

"I think the motivation that came from this is just that we wanted to show the community how much we love them and that we're supporting them," Pry said, a junior.

Three seats were left at the end of the bench to honor the three students. Another was left to honor Pry's friend from high school who she lost in the past month.

"He was such a light in my life so I was like how can I take his life, honor it and be lights in other people's lives but none of this would've happened without our team," she said. "We wanted to make it a place where everyone is comfortable."

Amanda Brantley brought her three daughters to the game.

"We know it's a big game for them for the conference so we're super excited to cheer them on," she said. "We've supported the team all season and especially it means a lot to support them and make sure they know they are loved and supported by their fans locally."

The game against the top-ranked Seminoles ended in a 2-2 draw.