Edina girls soccer defeats Wayzata in Class 3A state championship game

MINNEAPOLIS — The No. 1-seed Edina Hornets (22-0-0) defeated the No. 2-seed Wayzata Trojans (20-2-0) 2-1 Friday in the Class 3A girls soccer state championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium. 

Its the Hornets second state title in school history with the first coming in 1986. Edina has also reached the state tournament in 2022 but fell in the state title game, and they were eliminated in 2021.

"All of those loses were worth it to end up here," senior Izzy Engle said.

Engle scored the first goal for the Hornets in the 43rd minute. Emma Conner slid her the ball into the middle of the box and Engle took one touch and hit it past Wayzata goalkeeper Sophia Alvarez for the lead.\

"You cannot stop the top player in the state who has those skills and that kind of speed. We knew it had to be a team effort," Wayzata head coach Tony Pesznecker said. "We walked about doubling her and getting help and being as compact as we could be."

The Trojans tied the game in the 60th minute. Ana Munyon scored unassisted for Wayzata. 

Engle, the Metro girls soccer Player of the Year, struck again in the 68th minute. Lou Ruffien passed a ball down Edina's right side and led Engle, who sped down the right side toward the post and put it in the back of the net for the second time. 

"We knew we were going to get another one," Engle said. "We kept thinking it was going to come because of our momentum and how we were playing the game."

Edina had ten minutes to hold on, and despite multiple Wayzata chances, the Hornets held on. 

"They were intense," Edina head coach Katie Aafedt said. "They were trying to hit us behind our back line. A credit to our entire team defense that kept the ball forward. Wayzata gave us everything we could handle that last nine minutes."

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