“You’re always with us, Olivia” was the message that the New England Revolution sent out on Saturday evening, as the team paid tribute to an eleven-year-old girl who died in an accident this past Wednesday in South Carolina. She was the daughter of Brad Knighton, the club’s goalkeeper until this past January.
This Saturday, in the minutes leading up to the game against the New York Red Bulls, the eleven starters for the Revs lined up for their pre-match photo whilst holding up a shirt with “Olivia Knighton” printed on the back. The girl’s picture then appeared on the Red Bull Arena big screens, making for an emotional tribute for the family.
The players also took to the field wearing a black armband as a symbol of mourning for the loss. Olivia died while on a boat ride on Little River. According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the vessel was “shaken up by a big wake” caused by another ship in the area, and she passed away after falling into the water.
Knighton took to social media to confirm the passing of his daughter: “There are no words to express the depth of our profound grief and sorrow at this moment. Our family is still in shock at the sudden and tragic loss of our beautiful and brilliant daughter, Olivia, to an unfortunate boating accident yesterday”.
He went on: “We are still in disbelief that her bright and pure light was taken away from us so suddenly. Somehow, we will get through this together as a family.”
There was emotion all around at Red Bull Arena on Saturday night - “You’re always with us, Olivia”.
