DENTON, Texas — In the game of soccer, goalies are protectors. That is what Diego Rivera is to his teammates.
On Thursday, Diego and his younger brother, Daniel, were honored at a soccer tournament at Guyer High School.
The two boys, 17 and 14 years old, were killed in a car crash. On Tuesday night, police say the boys were headed to school and possibly the mall. They never made it home. On Wednesday, their vehicle was found overturned in Hickory Creek. The boys did not survive the crash.
Diego was a senior goalie at Guyer. Daniel played football as a defensive lineman at Calhoun Middle School.
The soccer tournament on Thursday happens yearly. It has now been renamed the Diego Rivera Iron Bridge Classic. Classmates filled the stands, and Diego and Daniel’s parents and sister arrived at the game.
Coaches and teammates hugged their family in tears.
The game started with an empty goal, a missing man formation to honor their missing goalie.
A GoFundMe page has been started for Diego and Daniel Rivera. Funds will be donated to their parents.