Best player in the state. Entered the girls soccer state tournament undefeated. No. 1 seed.
Edina has been to this tournament before: In 2021, all of those laudable factors came together to result in a disappointing third-place finish at the state tournament.
But once again, all the stars aligned and the Hornets rose to their opportunity: Senior Izzy Engle, the reigning Miss Soccer and Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year, scored seven goals in three state tournament games and top-seeded Edina finished with a perfect season at 22-0.
The Hornets are the 2024 All-Metro Sports Awards Girls Team of the Year.
After three seasons as a championship contender, Edina finished just third in 2021 before climbing to second in the 2022 state tournament, just ahead of a No. 5 seed.
With just one hurdle left to overcome, the Hornets worked hard throughout the season, defeating 2021 state tournament foe Stillwater, 4-3, on Aug. 29. They cruised through Lake Conference play, highlighted by regular-season wins over Minnetonka and Wayzata.
Engle shone against the team’s toughest opponents, scoring three goals in a comeback win over Stillwater and then scoring a hat trick in the regular-season finale against previously unbeaten Wayzata.
Beyond “The Engle Show,” Edina was part of the U.S. U-19 team that competed in the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile, where she won a sectional semifinal and final.
Edina fought back against a stalwart St. Michael-Albertville team in the state quarterfinals, with the Knights scoring first before tying the game at 2-2 before Engle, who scored Edina’s first two goals, completed a hat trick.
And Engle twice gave her team a one-point lead in a defensive battle against Wayzata, winning 2-1 on the way to the Class 3A girls state title at U.S. Bank Stadium.
A perfect ending to a perfect, hard-earned season.
