Junior Kylie Hase persevered on the pitch, even when she wasn’t accepted

Kylie Hase doesn’t know how to take it down a notch. Growing up in Orland Park, Illinois, she started playing soccer at 3 years old in a church league. Her mother tells Hase she fielded concerns from other moms because Hase was very aggressive running around the field.

“I was competitive right from the start,” says the junior studying law and society in the College of Liberal Arts.

Hase played on all-boys teams through sixth grade because options for girls to play at a competitive level were limited in her small town. She was the only girl in the league. While her team was always supportive, that wasn’t always the case with the opponents they faced.

“Boys would make mean comments about not wanting to play with a girl,” Hase says. “Once, I was playing hard and pushing the boys and I got a card. The opposing coach said, ‘She shouldn’t even be here.’ That hurt to hear but subconsciously made me stronger. I was determined to prove that girls are capable of playing at the same level as boys.”

Not a lot of Orland Park high schoolers are recruited to play at Division I schools. When Purdue came scouting, Hase was ecstatic at the possibility of playing on a Big Ten team.

“We have so much talent and athleticism,” she says. “But now we’ve gone through a season and gained that critical experience. That will make a huge difference next season.”

And when she needs an extra dose of inspiration, Hase draws on the character-building experiences that have fueled her since her elementary school days.

“If you put your heart and soul into every moment you play, you will succeed,” she says. “No matter how poorly I am playing, I think about how much I love the sport and how I deserve to be here. You have to persevere and get through it. No matter what others tell you.”