Page 8 Edina Fall Sports Preview • Thursday, August 28, 2025 current. mnsun. com
New year, same goals for boys soccer team
JOHN SHERMAN john. sherman @ apgecm. com
It’ s a new season for the Edina High boys soccer team and none of the goals have changed.
In early November, the Hornets expect to be playing for a state Class AAA championship at US Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
Coaches Dave Jenson and Billy Garner have built the culture to make that happen often, however, the Hornets have been edged for state berths by Section 2AAA rival Minnetonka each of the last two years.
Minnetonka advanced to state with a 1-0 decision over the Hornets last fall. Then head coach Mike Rogers announced he would not return to the Skippers for the fall of 2025.
That’ s no call for the Hornets to relax because Rogers’ replacement is former Bloomington Jefferson head coach Dan Storlien, a long-time rival of Jenson and Garner.
Edina captain Andreas Engle feels that the time is right for the Hornets’ return to state this fall.“ We have a really talented group that has been building toward the season all summer,” he said.
“ We graduated nine players from last year’ s team, but we have another good team with strong sophomore and junior classes,” captain Stellan Twill said.“ Andreas and I have been on varsity since our
( SUN PHOTO BY JOHN SHERMAN)
Edina High’ s 2025 boys soccer captains are, from left to right: Malachi Sweeney, Andreas Engle, Stellan Twill and Reid Burk.
freshman year, and we’ ve been through a lot of ups and downs.”
How will the Hornets try to play this year?
“ We will try to keep the ball more than last year and dominate possession,” Engle said.
“ All of us are good on our feet,” Twill assured. Engle and Twill are versatile enough to play midfield or forward and are willing to go where the team needs them.
Another proven scorer is junior Henry Banks.
“ Henry put up 10 goals as a sophomore and scored our only goal of the season against Minnetonka [ in a regular-season match ],” Twill said.
“ Henry has a knack for getting to the right place at the right time,” Engle said.
The other captains working with Engle and Twill are two players who excel on the defensive side.
Senior Reid Burk can play either midfield or on the back line. Senior Malachi Sweeney as a goal protector at center back, taking over in that key role from one of last year’ s captains, All-State player Tommy Ott.
During the annual Green & White scrimmage Aug. 14, at Kuhlman Field, coaches Jenson and Garner had some hard decisions to make – who would be on varsity, who would make the JV team and who might not be accommodated with a spot.
Players knew that in order to make one of the teams, they would have to hustle, tackle and make good decisions with the ball. The coaches were essentially looking for players who have not only physical skill, but also a wise head for the game.
“ I see a lot of energy out there,” Twill remarked during the scrimmage.
Engle and Twill were especially anxious to see how the goalies would perform. Tyler Baker graduated in June as a multi-year All-Lake goalkeeper. He was there on the 14th, encouraging the players competing to replace him.
“ We have a super talented goalie pool,” Engle observed after watching the first hour of the scrimmage.“ I don’ t know who is going to start – but that’ s a good thing.”
Tryouts and the scrimmage tonight will determine who wins the position.”
In the back of every Hornet’ s mind is the rivalry with Minnetonka. The mindset for the regular-season match against the Skippers at 5 p. m. Tuesday, Sept. 30, at Minnetonka has to be right because the result is almost sure to determine the No. 1 seed for the Section 2AAA Tournament.
“ We want to go into the Minnetonka match with true desire and no hesitation,” Engle said.“ There is a sour taste in our mouths from last season.”
Engle and Twill will be there to lead the offense and they have complete confidence in the other captains on the defensive side.“ Malachi is a tall, powerful center back,” Engle said.“ Reid Burk is clean on the ball and composed in high-pressure situations.”
Before locking in on the Minnetonka match, Edina has several other big tests, beginning with a 7 p. m. match Saturday, Aug. 30, at Minneapolis Washburn.
Lake Conference boys soccer has a single-round robin schedule. But the Hornets plan to play two matches against Lake rival Wayzata.
The first is a conference match sat 7 p. m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, at Edina’ s Kuhlman Field. The second is a nonconference rematch at 7 p. m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, at Wayzata High Stadium.
Maple Grove is new to the Lake Conference this season and will play Edina at 5 p. m. Thursday, Sept. 4, at Kuhlman Field.
“ I like playing Wayzata twice,” Engle said.“ We need to challenge ourselves so that we’ re ready for the section tournament. Maple Grove is an additional test.”