SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Friends, teachers and coaches came together in Syracuse on Thursday to remember Anna Barnard, a former Manlius Pebble Hill student who was killed in a car crash in Indiana on Sunday.
It was at Henninger High School Stadium where Anna had loved to play soccer.
"Anna was someone who was really passionate and she put passion into anything, literally anything. Her love was for soccer. She loved soccer, she loved sports," said Matthew Johnson, a friend.
It was that love she passed on to younger children as a volunteer for the Tillie's Touch Spring soccer league.
“They adored her and, I know for adults sometimes, it's hard to get a kid's attention. When Anna tried to get their attention, immediately they'd look up, [she was] someone that they respected tremendously,” said Johnson.
Friends say her caring soul touched everyone she met.
"She accepted everybody in her heart. She was one of the kindest people I've met. She loved everybody. She put herself second," said Claude Tuyishimire, another friend.
Nothing could prepare anyone for the news that Anna had died in a car crash. She was 18.
“My heart just stopped. I started crying a little bit, and I just went in my room and went to sleep honestly,” said Tuyishimire.
On Thursday, it was time to shine a light on her legacy.
"It reflects on Anna and how great a person she was and how much she meant to people around the area. She may not have lived here long, but that just shows you them impact she made on people," said Johnson.
Tillie's Touch is re-naming their Coach of the Year award the Anna Barnard Coach of the Year award to honor her legacy.