One of the top girls soccer players in New Jersey was taken tragically late Saturday night when she and two friends were struck by a speeding vehicle when they were just miles from the sleepover party they planned to attend.
As reported by MyFoxNY, the Associated Press and a variety of other New York sources, 16-year-old Christina Lembo was killed during a horrific car crash at around 11 p.m. on Saturday night in her native Bloomfield, N.J. Lembo was travelling in the back seat of a Honda Civic with two close friends when a car reached the corner of Broughton Avenue and Walter Street at the same time as the car Lembo was riding in.
Four others were injured in the accident which reportedly drew scores of local residents out of their houses for fear of what may have happened because of the extremely loud sound set off by the crash, though none of the other reported injuries were feared to be serious.
Lembo, a junior defender for Bloomfield, was seen a rock for her squad, helping set the table for the team's stout defense. The squad's games for the remainder of the week have already been cancelled, and the team plans to wear the number 3 in honor of Lembo once the team returns.
There is no word about what the cause of the speeding car was as of yet, with results from toxicology reports yet to be released and early rumors that drag racing was involved still nothing more than rumors.
Still, the loss of Lembo has left Bloomfield stunned, with hundreds of her teenage friends and relatives showing up to form a makeshift monument to the high school soccer star on Sunday.
"She was amazing," an unnamed mourner told MyFoxNY. "The thing I'll remember the most is her laugh."
Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.