‘Shock and mourning' after teen soccer star killed in sweeping Wallace Falls

SEATTLE, Wash. — Friends and family remember the teenager swept over a popular Western Washington waterfall as an exceptional young person with a bright future.

The Seattle soccer community is identifying the teenager as Haylei Hughes – an 18-year-old star athlete who moved to Washington to be a key player with Highline Community College soccer in the Northwest Athletic Conference.

Northwest Premier League and Seattle Stars FC posted on its blog that members of its organization were in "shock and mourning" after Hughes' tragic death.

While Hughes was hiking with a group at Wallace Falls on Wednesday, friends heard a scream. When they looked back, she was gone. Nearly a day later, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office announced that crews found a woman in a pool of water at the base of the lower falls.

Seattle Stars players were told of Hughes' passing Thursday night while, at the same time, nearly 100 of her friends in her hometown – Las Vegas – held a vigil.

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People continue to remember Hughes on social media – with hundreds of people retweeting stories and photos in the hashtag #RIPHaylei.

>> See photos of Haylei and her team here

“Haylei was truly special in so many ways. Soccer, for sure. She loved the game more than anything and the game loved her back. She was well on the way to being the most special player I’ve ever seen at this level,” the Seattle Stars Women’s head coach Chris Wells wrote in a Facebook post. “Haylei will never be forgotten and always loved. She will be a part of me for the rest of my life, and for that, I am truly thankful and blessed.”

The Seattle Stars will host the Washington Timbers in the Northwest Premier League’s final on Sunday. The Stars will dedicate their performance to the life and competitive spirit of Hughes.

Hughes, at age 13, lost her mother to cancer, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported. She spent the next few years living with her grandmother, who reportedly flew to Seattle in the wake of the death.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help family with expenses.

Snohomish County Sheriff Office reported that Hughes climbed out past an observation fence onto an island above the upper falls Wednesday.

“We don’t know the circumstances [leading up to her death], but we do just want to offer condolences and our thoughts with the family,” Washington State Parks spokeswoman Toni Droscher told KIRO 7 News.

Washington State Parks maintains Wallace Falls.

Cox Media Group