Every soccer team needs goals and leadership to be successful, and sophomore striker Daijah Norris helps give the Nansemond River High School Lady Warriors both.

She contributed a goal to a 2-1 road victory over Great Bridge High School on March 23, and the next day, she scored all of her team’s goals in a 3-1 road win against Indian River High School. It all led to her nomination and eventual win as the Duke Automotive-Suffolk News-Herald Player of the Week.

“I felt that I played well, and the team did a great job delivering the ball to the top, and that led to my scoring opportunities,” Norris said. “And I always pray before every game, so I know that helps.”

She has five goals so far this season, and the three she scored against the Lady Braves helped illustrate her versatility.

“She had two of them off of corner kicks,” Nansemond River coach Kurt Straub said. “So, she’s not afraid to use her head.”

Her father, Ross Norris, being athletic himself, has been very instrumental in her career and a helpful coach along the way.

“She’s playing very well,” he said. “I like the fact that she’s actually coming to the leadership role. She’s showing a lot of leadership on the team.”

Giving her take on why she is a formidable presence on the field so early, Daijah Norris said, “Because I’m more experienced, and I’m very competitive, and I’m very committed to what I do, and I want to see the team do well and just win.”

Her experience level is impressive, especially considering she is only 15 years old.

“I started playing when I was 4, and as I got older, I started to love it,” she said.

Her mother, Deborah Norris, recalled having Daijah involved in dance when she was little. She did well but was preoccupied with something else during that activity.

“The only thing she kept talking about is how many goals she scored at the age of 4, and so I knew she was really interested in soccer,” Deborah Norris said.

She said that out on the field, her daughter was a natural, and coaches recognized early on that she had a gift. She was fast and athletic. Some of these coaches have followed her throughout her career, coming to watch her play.

She has played in the Churchland Soccer League, the Suffolk Youth Soccer League, as well as with the Old Dominion Soccer Club and the CSL Xplosion U16 travel team.

This is also her second year on the Nansemond River varsity team. She received an all-conference first team selection as a freshman.

“The things that motivate me are God, family, coaches, and my team, which I think will really do well if we continue to work hard and play together,” she said.