Last June, Brittany Willis, 17, was abducted at a Wilson shopping center, then brutally murdered at a nearby construction yard.

This month, a soccer tournament will be held at the new Gillette Athletic Complex in Wilson in her honor.

The event will help raise money for a scholarship in her name.

Coach Mike Petty said Willis wasn't just a soccer player at Hunt High School, she was his friend.

"She was not the fastest, the largest, the most skilled soccer player. But being the hardest working, she set an example for the rest of the team," Petty stated.

In three weeks, Coach Petty along with other organizers will kick off the first Brittany Willis Memorial Scholarship Soccer Showcase.

The daylong girls’ soccer tournament is expected to raise thousands of dollars for a scholarship in Willis' name.

More than a dozen teams from around the state will participate.

The girls’ soccer tournament will be the first of two fundraising events here. Later this fall, a boy’s soccer tournament will also be held.

Organizers hope annual events not only bring thousands of dollars for the Brittany Willis scholarship fund but also make Wilson known for its soccer action statewide.

Earlier this year, Wilson’s travel and tourism board gave organizers and an $8,000 grant to make the tournament dream a reality.

"We hope the money that they have given us, we can show them out of town people will want to come, and come back to this wonderful facility, because it's a great place to play soccer," Philip Thompson, a tournament organizer, explained.

Volunteers also hope the event will bring healing and closure to the community.

"Last summer was a tragic summer in Wilson,” Mary Piggott, also a tournament organizer explained. “Many of us just needed a little bit of healing. I felt like this was a venue I could put my energy and focus."

Thompson added, "It's very personal for me. All three of my daughters played soccer against Brittany. I taught Brittany in Sunday school. And they that was such a terrible tragedy we tried to make something good from."

"It just gives us an opportunity to increase awareness,” Mike Thatcher, a volunteer said. “And if we can help prevent one tragedy from taking place, than this effort is totally worth it."

Petty added, “There are some real dark things that happened. And people need to get past that. We need to remember Brittany and the way she lived. Not the way she died."

The event will kick off March 18th with a memorial service and a candlelight vigil to remember Willis and other young victims of violence.

On the 19th, the day long soccer tournament will begin. UNC girls’ soccer coach, Anson Dorrance, will also make an appearance.

If you'd like more information, call (252) 363-6363 or visit http://www.thebrittany.org.