Highlands grad Gabe Norris adds scoring touch to resume at Robert Morris

With a new coaching staff this year, Gabe Norris knew he would have to prove himself all over again.

He wound up playing the same defensive midfield position he had the previous two years at Robert Morris, but a tactical change has helped unlock the goal-scoring ability he had when he was at Highlands.

Norris has four goals this season — the first four of his collegiate career — in what has been a breakout junior season with the Colonials.

“I didn’t really make a positional change, but my role as a defensive midfielder has changed,” Norris said. “The last two years, I played in more of a defensive role, sitting back in front of our center backs to help protect them. This year, I’m going more box to box and finding myself a lot higher up the field in positions to score.

“Most of my goals have come from set pieces. In the past, I’ve been more of a last defender type on set pieces, and, this year, I’m in the box looking to get any body part I can get on the ball to put it in the net.”

Norris scored his first collegiate goal in the Colonials’ season opener against Virginia Military Institute and added another against Bucknell on Sept. 1. He has scored in the team’s last two matches against St. Bonaventure and Purdue-Fort Wayne.

The Colonials are 3-0-1 in games Norris has scored.

“The last couple years I really wasn’t the scoring type, so to come in and find myself in situations where I’m putting the ball in the back of the net has been a little bit different,” Norris said. “I’m just happy I can be in a position to help the team. It has been a lot of fun scoring goals, but it’s also the product of a lot of guys doing selfless work that puts me in situations where I can do that. It shows how much we’ve grown together as a group and how we’ll continue to grow as the season goes on.”

Norris has a fellow Alle-Kiski Valley member on the team with him: Deer Lakes grad Colton Spence.

The team also has players from all over the world.

With the new staff led by coach Jonathan Potter, there was some transition in the roster.

Robert Morris has players from England, Ghana, France, Australia, Germany, Morocco, Iceland and Belgium.

Mats Bramer, a native of Germany, is Norris’ partner in the defensive midfield.

Getting to know people from different cultures has been an added treat.

“That’s been one of my favorite parts of this whole experience,” Norris said. “Some of my best friends are from Canada and England. It’s been great, but, at the same time, it’s been super easy because we all have the same thing in common in that we love the game. We all agree it’s the beautiful game. Personally, I’m a Liverpool fan, and we have some guys from England that are Chelsea fans. We can disagree on what team to support but agree how amazing the sport is.”

The Colonials are 4-3-3 overall and 2-2 in Horizon League play entering a matchup Saturday with Wright State. The next five weeks will determine their position for the conference tournament.

“This is a huge game on Saturday because Wright State is also 2-2,” Norris said. “You just want to play every week to put yourself into the best position going into the next and as a whole improve every game. Then, theoretically, by the time you get to the postseason tournament, you are hitting your stride.”