Denton Guyer soccer team honors fallen player with tournament win

DENTON, Texas - It was an emotional day for the family and teammates of a Denton Guyer school soccer player and his younger brother.

Diego Rivera, 17, and his brother Daniel, 14, were killed Tuesday when their car veered off the road and into a creek.

READ MORE: Missing Denton County brothers found dead in submerged car

The boys soccer team played at a tournament on Thursday renamed in Diego's honor and won their match. Despite incredible sadness, they were fired up and played for Diego and his family who sat in the stands. The coach told his team before they took the field that life it’s always easy, but you’ve still got to go to battle.

The Denton Guyer boys soccer team made a somber entrance by the Denton Guyer boys soccer team at the tournament, minus a beloved teammate.

“You can see how many friends this young man had and how many lives he’s touched,” said Coach Cody Schroeder.

Diego was the backup goalie for the team. He had returned to the school to pick up a watch he left on the field on Tuesday. Daniel went with him. When they didn’t return home, the boys’ family filed a missing persons report.

On Wednesday, someone spotted their 2002 Volkswagen overturned in a creek near Hickory Creek Road.

Despite their overwhelming loss, Diego’s family showed up to the game he would have played in.

“I hope that we can give them one brief moment of peace as they go through the difficult process of losing two children,” Schroeder said.

The Rivera family embraced the coach and stood shoulder to shoulder with the players who Diego played with. The team played with extra fire for their friend and pulled a 2-0 win.