Community unites for Ava Wood memorial soccer tournament

BALDWINSVILLE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)– The Baldwinsville community continues to honor the memory of 14-year-old Ava Wood through an annual memorial soccer tournament held in her name.

Ava Wood, a vibrant young soccer player, left a lasting impact on her community, which is celebrated each year with this tournament. The event not only commemorates her life but also brings together friends, family, and strangers to remember her spirit and kindness.

“I never could’ve imagined such an event in my life, but I also never could have imagined the impact she had outside of her small bubble and her small community of Baldwinsville, New York,” Ava’s mother, Heather, said.

This year’s tournament included a 19-second moment of silence, a personal tribute shared by each player in their own way. This moment allows participants to reflect on Ava’s life and the joy she brought to those around her.

“It’s definitely a really good part to me personally,” Sam Fiello, Ava’s former teammate and friend, said. “I just talked to her during those 19 seconds, and other people definitely do their own things, and I think that’s what makes it special.”

Ava’s former coach, Kathy Morse, fondly remembers her through the way she used to wear her cleats.

“She wore two different shoes,” she said. “That’s what I distinctly remember about her. She would wear two different colored shoes, and one of the other teammates would wear the other shoe, so they switched shoes, so I thought that was pretty cool.”

The tournament has grown beyond the local community, with support from people who never met Ava but are touched by her story. Ava’s mother, Heather, expressed gratitude for the messages and tributes from strangers.

“I probably have hundreds and hundreds of messages and new videos and new pictures that complete strangers that I’ve never met make in honor of her and to keep her memory alive,” Heather said.

Scott Fiello, Sam’s father, said that Ava was “a bundle of positive energy.”

“It was just a beautiful relationship with this group of girls,” he said. “They’re just phenomenal. Ava is spread wider than just B-ville soccer and club soccer, like when we go to tournaments. It’s outside of the state, people would wear her emblem on and stuff like that.”

Her mother believes Ava would be amazed by the love and recognition she receives.

“She would be over the moon,” Heather said. “I don’t even know what words she would use. I don’t even think she could even wrap her head around this being all about her.”

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