DeKALB | Everyone has a certain passion in life.

For Karen Enockson, it’s soccer.

Since she was six, Enockson knew her love for the game would play a major role in her life.

But being a kid meant being into everything.

She ran track, swam and played violin, viola and guitar. Then there is her love for making beaded jewelry.

But in the end, nothing made her feel the way she did about soccer. So she stuck with it.

She stuck with it in high school, where she played on an all-conference team her junior year at St. Charles East and was named the captain her senior year.

Then she followed her passion to the University of Iowa, where she got a scholarship to play her childhood love. As far as dreams go, Enockson was living hers.

But then everything stopped her sophomore year after she tore her ACL and needed surgery.

A year later her knee healed and Enockson transferred to NIU to be closer to home.

“I didn’t know what to expect of her,” said head coach Marci Miller. “She was decent when she played last season, but compared to now she has grown tremendously.”

And in her very first season with the Huskies, Enockson tied her career high with nine points. She became the team’s top shot-taker as well as the co-leader in goals scored.

Enockson followed that up with an even better encore performance. Along with that performance comes her leadership on and off the field.

“Karen is very easy to coach and she’s passionate. Those are just her intrinsic qualities,” Miller said. “She’s a complete player and she has surpassed her goals from last year. She really brings the team together.”

After playing soccer all summer with guy friends and on a college development team, the junior is using the skills she learned to lead the MAC with five goals and is tied for the lead with 11 points.

“I played soccer six days a week,” Enockson said. “I noticed playing with guys has helped me improve much more. I’m faster on the field and quicker with the ball.”

Enockson is not only a threat but a perfectionist — someone who has to have a hand, or foot, in on every play to help her team win.

“In every game I want to be as dangerous as possible, break down the defense, get a touch on some great crosses,” Enockson said. “I’m a perfectionist, so nothing I do is ever good enough for the team. I want to make things happen.”

Some may think skill and technique make Enockson a great soccer player, but her passion is what brought her to the point she is at now.

Jenn Novielli is a Sports Reporter for the Northern Star.