2023 Northwestern women’s soccer player previews: Ella Hase

The old adage says something along the lines of, “Experience is the greatest teacher.” In the case of Northwestern soccer’s Ella Hase, that utterance has rung true. The senior broke onto the scene in 2022, nabbing her first career goal and assist in 23 starts. Now, she has plenty to set her sights on in her upcoming campaign.

Who she is

Senior; forward; 5-foot-5; from Orland Park, Ill.; all-conference and all-state honoree in 2019 high school season

Career Stats

79.6 minutes per game; four goals; seven assists; 15 points; 48.9% shots on goal.

2022 review

Consider 2022 Ella Hase’s breakout campaign. Though she played major minutes in her freshman and sophomore seasons, starting 13 games in each year, her junior outing was her most prolific.

Hase notched her first career goal against SIUE in the waning days of August. She proceeded to tally an assist and seven shots within the week at DePaul. Head coach Michael Moynihan observed the undeniable talent in the Illinois native and gave her the start in all 23 games of the season — as opposed to 2021, when he beckoned her off the bench four times. Among a flurry of big-time bin finders, one of Hase’s most pivotal contributions in 2022 was an assist on the go-ahead goal against No. 20 Rutgers in the Big Ten Quarterfinal.

After spending the year prior in flux between coming off the bench and starting on the pitch, Hase solidified her role as a foundational part of the ‘Cats’ program in her junior season. She shined because of her ability to attack the box and employ her sharp game IQ, which she used to make the smart pass time and time again.

Expectations

Going 23-for-23 in games started sets the bar pretty high. Setting career highs in goals, assists, shots and shots on goal set the bar even higher.

Hase mowed down a gauntlet of objectives last year, establishing her role as a game-in and game-out starter. Expect that to stay the same heading into 2023. Though the arrival of high school phenom Megan Norkett will crowd the forward room, Hase has proven that she deserves a near-permanent spot on the field.

In what could be her last season in Evanston, Hase will doubtlessly continue to attack the goal. There’s a reasonable chance we see an increase in her shot total, which sat at 35 at the end of 2022. Already savvy in the assist department, it wouldn’t shock anybody to see the senior continue to spread the ball well on the attacking end of the pitch.