There is a gap in the heart of Statesville's girls soccer team.
You can see it in the eyes of Greyhounds players as they warm up before the season-opening game against South Iredell.
You can see it on the warm-up shirts, the ones with "# 12" printed on the front that were designed specifically for this season.
But mainly, you see it when Statesville players line up before the starting lineups are announced.
The girls cram together on the sideline in front of their bench, lining up in numerical order.
They stand so close that their shoes touch. It would be difficult for a ray of sunlight to sneak through two players.
Except between Ashley Wodecki and Ashlee Perry.
Wodecki is No. 11. Perry is No. 13.
"We just left a little space for Abbey," Wodecki said. "In our hearts, she's still there."
The Abbey they speak of is Abbey Tsumas, the bright, bubbly and spunky Statesville teenager who died in car wreck in October. One of her many extracurricular activities was being a part of the Greyhounds soccer team.
Now, her teammates will try to honor her in perhaps the best way they know how — on the field.
"Each and every one of us has the same expectations, to step out on the field and play for her," Greyhounds senior SarahAnn Waugh said. "You always play harder when it's for someone else. I know that each one is out there playing for her. I know every day, soccer or not, each one of these girls really hurts. It's constantly going through everyone's mind. Knowing that each of us are in it together helps."
Waugh helped design the shirts that every member of the Statesville team wears during warm-ups.
The black shirts have a bright No. 12 — written in green, Abbey's favorite color — at the top left.
On the back is the slogan: "it's not just a team … it's a FAMILY."
The saying is on the edges of a giant picture of last year's team, on which Abbey starred.
"I made a shirt like that last year for the seniors," Waugh said. "After everything that happened, we wanted to put something together for Abbey. Trophy House donated all the shirts to us and helped us out so we could make this happen."
The girls got together and wrote the pregame prayer that Vivian Federle reads before the season's first game.
Wodecki and Perry stand together at midfield, eyes clenched shut and holding hands as Federle's voice booms over the loudspeaker and into the silence.
"We were really close," Perry said. "She wore No. 12 and I am No. 11. We were always together before the games, right next to each other. She was a big inspiration for the team. We're trying to play our best for her."
"If we scored a goal, Abbey was always the first one to make everyone smile," Greyhounds coach Jennifer Husbands said. "If we lost, she was the first one to cheer everyone up. She just made everyone feel at home. It's been hard, but these girls have stuck together."
The good thing about having those T-shirts is that it allows the Greyhounds unlimited looks at their friend.
If a player wants to see Abbey, all she has to do is find her in the 2009 team picture on the back of those warm-up shirts.
She's the one with the biggest smile.
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