Nansemond River High School’s girls’ soccer team defeated Princess Anne High School in overtime Tuesday after losing to them in the same game last year.

The Lady Warriors matched up with the Lady Cavs for the first round of the 5A South regional soccer tournament. The game was intense as the two teams went into four overtime periods at Powhatan Field at Old Dominion University.

Nansemond River coach Jonathan Baca described the game as one of the most exciting he has ever been a part of as a coach. The Lady Warriors took advantage of being able to rewrite their story from last year. Princess Anne ended the Lady Warriors’ season last year, and it was obvious they used that as motivation this year.

“It felt amazing,” junior Indiah Hunter said. “It felt really good to get this win after all of the hard work the team has put in this season. It was basically a vengeance game for us after how things ended last year.”

Princess Anne plays a physical style of soccer. Nansemond River knew that coming into the game and prepared accordingly. In the final minutes of the fourth overtime period, senior standout Daijah Norris kicked in the golden goal.

“I was extremely proud,” Baca said. “This team are some of my Golden Ball players, and every single girl on this team has worked extremely hard. For Daijah to score that final goal was great for this team. They deserved that win.”

This was by far the toughest game of Nansemond River’s season so far. However, the competition continues to become stiffer at this point. Baca told his team before the game this is the time the Lady Warriors will have to prove themselves.

“We have to continue to prove ourselves at this level of soccer if we want to get to where we want to go,” Baca said. “I think we have shown we can match up with almost any style of team.”

The Lady Warriors have one more game to win before they clinch a berth to the state tournament. A state championship is the ultimate goal, but the team is happy to be further in the season than they were last year. Nansemond River remains with just one loss this season.

“I’m glad we got a chance to redeem ourselves from our loss last year,” Lady Warriors Sarah Rhiel said. “I’m proud of this team.”