Edina rallies for a wild victory over St. Michael-Albertville in girls soccer state tournament

Edina ran its record to 20-0, boosted by Ms. Soccer Izzy Engle's second-half hat trick.

October 26, 2023 at 2:44AM

Edina girls soccer teammates and captains Izzy Engle and Grace Pohlidal touched base at midfield amid St. Michael-Albertville goal celebrations and said, "All right, let's do this."

Moments later, Engle booted a corner kick into the box and connected with Pohlidal's head for what became the winning goal in a wild second half Wednesday in a Class 3A girls soccer state tournament quarterfinal at Farmington High School.

All six goals were scored in the second half of a 4-2 Edina comeback — a dramatic victory that kept the Hornets undefeated (20-0) and bound for the semifinals at 8 a.m. Tuesday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Engle, recently named Ms. Soccer in Class 3A, padded her considerable résumé with a second-half hat trick and an assist to aid her team's escape from St. Michael-Albertville.

"They put up a good fight," Pohlidal said. "They were the most athletic team we've faced. Lots of respect to them."

Top seed Edina had beaten the Knights (12-7-1) twice this season by a combined score of 3-0. Which is why St. Michael-Albertville celebrated both of senior midfielder/defender Maggie Kramer's header goals on corner kicks from Juliana Faith Zerna.

Engle, who is committed to Notre Dame, has 37 goals this season.

"She's phenomenal," Pohlidal said. "Her energy was contagious, and it kept us fighting through the whole game."

Engle added: "This game was a testament to our grit. We had to dig really deep against a great opponent."

about the writer

about the writer

David La Vaque

Reporter

David La Vaque is a high school sports reporter who has been the lead high school hockey writer for the Minnesota Star Tribune since 2010. He is co-author of “Tourney Time,” a book about the history of Minnesota’s boys hockey state tournament published in 2020 and updated in 2024.

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