Statement from the UNC Womens soccer team:

Tomorrow night at our game against Florida State the UNC women’s soccer team, as part of the Carolina Family, wants to shine light on a subject that is really important to us – mental health.

This semester, our campus has grieved the loss of three students who died by suicide. We don’t want to wait for any more tragedies to happen to start talking about mental health.

At tomorrow’s game you will see 40+ posters hanging around the soccer stadium. Each member of our team has written something to encourage you, something to give you hope. Green is the color for mental health awareness, which is why there will be green posters, green streamers, green hair bows, and sidewalk chalk around the stadium.

Also, when you walk into the stadium, there will be a table with balloons for you to blow up and tie to the fence around the stadium. We invite you to decorate it and write a name of someone you want to honor who has walked through mental health struggles.

Our team will also reserve three seats on our bench to honor those who have lost their lives to suicide at UNC this semester.

As a program, we want to send the message that you are loved, you are worthy, you matter, and the world is a better place with you in it. Mental health IS health and mental health is treatable. Everyone is going through their own battles daily and you don’t have to suffer in silence. You are never alone.

Please continue to share this message with your loved ones. We are all in this together!

See you at tomorrow's game and GO HEELS!

THE CAROLINA WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM

Resources:

National suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Crisis text line: 741741

CAPS 24/7 number: 919-966-3658