Every Tuesday this spring, Coach Sam Kennedy meets with his Upper Milford Youth Association U12 girls soccer team at Jasper Park.

On May 19, Kennedy gathered the girls, their families and members of the community on the field at the park to begin healing.

"This is a sad day for us," Kennedy said, talking to the children who were teammates and friends of Abbie Zukowski who died May 18 after being struck by a car on Chestnut Street in Emmaus.

Abbie's family also attended, carrying their daughter's soccer jersey.

"We are here because we had a practice tonight," Kennedy said.

The coach talked about the accident and said he wanted to make sure the children had the facts because there were a lot of rumors going around. He explained Abbie and her friend Mya Walrath were hit by a car while crossing Chestnut street.

"She [Abbie] didn't suffer and we don't know why the accident happened," he told the girls and their families.

One child asked if the person who hit the girls would be arrested and if that person was sorry.

Kennedy said he did not know the details but hearing the driver stopped could show he was sorry.

Matt Skekel, UMYA president, thanked everyone for attending and offered his condolences to the family.

Skekel announced the annual Columbus Day tournament will be renamed in Abbie's honor.

Kennedy then asked the children, coaches and parents to hold a soccer ball as they shared happy memories of their teammate.

"This past weekend in the game, Abbie zig-zagged around them," Kennedy said holding the ball. "As a coach, you can't ask for anything more.

"She will be missed on the team and as a person," the coach continued. "She will be remembered for the beautiful person she was."

Coaches James and Tricia King remember when Abbie scored her first goal at Jasper Park.

"She had the biggest smile and jumped for joy. There was no stopping her on the field after that."

Friends began taking the ball and sharing their memories.

"She was a good friend," a boy said. "We had assigned seats in school and we sat next to each other. I'll never forget her."

Another friend said, "Abbie was really kind; she always did her best to make everybody happy."

"She was a good influence," said another friend. "We went to soccer practice together. She was on my team. She was very fast and kind."

Other friends shared more memories.

"Last weekend she played one of her best games," said one.

"She could always put a smile on your face even if you were down," added another.

"Last week at soccer practice, we had so much fun," said still another. "She was always happy. I enjoyed having her as a friend."

One friend said she and some other students at Jefferson Elementary are thinking of things they could do at school to remember Abbie.

"We were blessed to have met her," one mom said. "Thank you for allowing her to be a part of our lives."

After the memories were shared, everyone lit candles and walked slowly to the center of the field where Abbie last played.

The moment of silence gave everyone an opportunity to say what they couldn't say out loud.

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