CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. -- Courtney Wagner, whose fight against brain cancer inspired countless people in Canandaigua and far beyond, died Monday. She was 18.

Purple was Courtney's favorite color and all along Canandaigua's Main Street, purple balloons, ribbons and posters continued to fly Tuesday. At Canandaigua Academy, where Courtney graduated from high school in June 2014, the flag flies at half staff.

"She was an outstanding young girl and it wasn't about her illness.  She was a star athlete, she was a great student but most importantly she was just a really nice person.  She was loved by everyone who encountered her," said Canandaigua City Schools Superintendent Lynne Erdle. "Her family is a very close-knit family so this is a tragic loss.

Wagner was diagnosed with brain cancer in back in 2011 and earlier this year, was the focus of a community and social media push to get Courtney to meet Ellen DeGeneres. She was then a guest on the Ellen Show.

A C was painted on the William Smith soccer field, the Herons way of paying tribute to Courtney as they honored her at their final home game of the season this past Saturday.

Although she was just a freshman, Courtney had been associated with William Smith soccer since 2013 when she committed to the college.  She traveled with the team to San Antonio, Texas that year as the Herons captured the NCAA Division III national championship.  

On Saturday, her teammates joined hands around the C, just two days before her death.

"We've discussed the inevitable and how we needed to respond and how we needed to continue to support Courtney and her family in the ways that we could and we best knew how," said Aliceann Wilber, William Smith College soccer coach.

The college honored Courtney and her courageous battle on Saturday night by lighting up the campus in that purple color she loved, and with just one regular season game to go before playoffs begin, her teammates are hoping for another championship run.

"As a team, it's going to bring us closer.  I think what Courtney would want is not for us to dwell on it but to embrace it and use it to live life for the better," said teammate Bridget Westerman.