NORFOLK, Va. (WTKR) — Lizzie Adams is living a part of her childhood dream. The senior playing a key role for Norfolk Academy's unbeaten, nationally ranked field hockey team.
"It's kind of been surreal to finally be here and be playing on the team," the forward said.
It's a level of excellence on the field that requires a great commitment.
"We're all next to each other, pushing each other to be the best that we can," Adams said. "Every day in practice and in every game we play in, there's just a buy in that we all have that makes it really special."
"She's averaging three goals a game. My daughter actually worked with her in preschool and in kindergarten and put a hockey stick in her hands," said Bulldogs head coach Mary Werkheiser.
A quality she shows away from the field too, trying to give back to her community.
"I'm in a lot of clubs but one of my main ones over the past three years in Global Affair Fellows," Adams said. "We've recently partnered with Dos Santos, a food pantry on the Eastern Shore."
"I've been able to volunteer with migrant farmers there. Going there, seeing them, using as much Spanish as I've learned is pretty cool."
It's something Adams wants to keep doing at her next stop at Columbia University.
"The accessibility to real people in our area and suffering, doing what ever little part I can to help them out," she said.
Lizzie has shown she's able to reach a standard on the field, and she's determined to keep that same standard away from it too.
"It's important to be a part of something much bigger than yourself," Adams said.
Norfolk Academy is off to a 14-0 start in 2023. The Bulldogs have topped the MaxPreps national rankings for the last two weeks.