After playing four seasons at Northwestern, Ella Hase decided it was time for a new adventure, looking for a different destination to attend graduate school and play her final season of college soccer.

Hase, a Sandburg graduate, had no idea where that would be. Then she got a message that seemed too good to be true.

“I entered the transfer portal, and you don’t really know what to expect when you go in there,” Hase said. “I got an email from Kieran Hall, who was the associate head coach at Duke, and I thought it must be Duke State or something. I don’t know if that exists, but I didn’t actually believe it was Duke University.

“I kind of had to look at it like 10 times like, ‘Is this actually real?’”

It was, and earlier this month, Hase finished off quite a memorable time at Duke.

A senior forward, Hase tied for the team lead in assists with 13 and scored three goals. She helped the Blue Devils go 18-3-1 and advance all the way to the Final Four of the NCAA Women’s College Cup.

In a Dec. 6 national semifinal game in Cary, North Carolina, Duke lost 3-0 to rival North Carolina, which went on to win the national championship.

That didn’t take away from the amazing experience Hase had.

“It was magical,” Hase said. “If you would have told me six months ago when I entered the portal that I would have ended up on a team that had so much success, I wouldn’t have believed it.

“Even though we didn’t get the result we wanted at the end, we still had a lot to be proud of.”

Duke coach Robbie Church, who retired at the end of the season, was thrilled to have Hase on his final team.

“She’s been amazing,” Church said of Hase in a story on Duke’s athletic website. “From the start of preseason practice, you would have never known if you were at our practice that Ella had only been with us for two or three days at that time. She looked like she had been in our system of play for the past four years.

“She’s added a new dimension that we have not had for a while. Her speed is outstanding, she’s a good dribbler, draws the defenders in and pushes by and has really good services.”

Hase’s ascension to the highest level of college soccer has been atypical.

Growing up, she played with Chicago Inter. That’s a strong local club but a bit removed from the elite level many of her current contemporaries played at when they were younger.

So, back then, did Hase ever see herself playing somewhere like Duke?

“The short answer is no,” she said. “I’d never take away the experience I had at Chicago Inter. I think it’s made me who I am. I just played the game because I loved it.

“I loved playing with my friends. I think that’s why I’ve had success over the years because I know nothing is handed to you and you always have to work for it.”

Hase played club exclusively for her first two years of high school, then planned to play two seasons for Sandburg.

As a junior in 2019, she earned all-state honors with seven goals and eight assists. It turned out to be her lone year of high school soccer as her senior season was canceled due to the pandemic.

“High school soccer, hands down, was one of if not the most fun experience I’ve had playing soccer,” Hase said. “It’s so much fun to play for your school and have people come out to your games to cheer you on. I’ll always remember high school soccer as being so fun to play.”

Hase now plans to pursue professional soccer opportunities.

No matter what’s next, she has shown the unconventional path can take you far.

“I don’t think you have to be on the most elite club in your state to be recognized as a good player and be able to get where you want to get,” Hase said. “If you’re good enough and you work hard, you could end up at Duke.

“You can do whatever you want.”