Girls' soccer teams honor teen who committed suicide

In memory of a teenager who killed herself earlier this year, the West Islip girls soccer team and its rival on Friday presented the girl's mother with a bouquet of flowers, a plaque and a donation to a foundation established after her death for suicide prevention.

Alexis Pilkington, 17, a soccer player and a graduate of West Islip Senior High School, killed herself March 21. Her parents, Paula and Tom Pilkington of West Islip, have said that anonymous comments made on social networking sites didn't cause their daughter's death.

With media attention focused on Alexis' death, her parents took the opportunity to raise awareness around the subject of teens and mental illness.

After the soccer game Friday, Paula Pilkington urged the girls to be friends and look out for each other on and off the field.

"Talk. Don't be so quick to do the text messaging because you don't know how your friends are on the other side if it's only a text message," Paula Pilkington told the girls. "Call them. Find out if they're really OK, if they're sad. Keep the communication open with your families, your friends, your coaches and your teachers. There is help for everyone out there."

Nicole DiLevo, 15, broke out in sobs after listening to Paula Pilkington's speech on the soccer field.

"She inspired me, in soccer especially," said Nicole, who knew Alexis for a decade, adding that they were so close they were like sisters.

West Islip's rival, the Islip girls soccer team, presented a framed photo of Alexis playing soccer and a $100 check to the Alexis Pilkington Memorial Foundation, founded by her parents and friends to educate teenagers about suicide prevention and cyberbullying.

"I just want to celebrate her life," said Nick Grieco, coach of the West Islip girls soccer team. "Every time we step on the field, we want to play like Alexis."