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Minnetonka girls blank Eden Prairie to take home the Class 2A, Section 2 title

By Peter Odney, SportsEngine, 10/20/16, 7:30AM CDT

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The Skippers scored twice in the first half and held on in the second for the win.




Minnetonka's Izabel Matchan had one of her team's two goals Thursday night at Chanhassen High School to defeat Eden Prairie for the Section 2AA title. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine

Minnetonka coach Jeff Hopkins is always on edge when he coaches, even more so with the players who took the field Thursday night in the Class 2A, Section 2 finals.

“I’m always nervous with this group,” Hopkins said. “But we came out with a game plan, they stuck to it, got the first two goals and then we had to hang on,” Hopkins said, dissecting the Skippers’ 2-0 victory over Eden Prairie on Thursday at Chanhassen High School.  

By beating the Eagles, Hopkins has led the incredibly young Skippers its first appearance in the Class 2A state tournament since 2013, when Minnetonka defeated Lakeville North in the state championship.

But unlike the team’s previous trip to state, Hopkins said this year’s squad bears little resemblance to the one that took home the state title.

“We’re a lot younger,” Hopkins said. “Half our kids can’t even drive.”

The Skippers (12-5-2) roster features 10 underclassmen, including five freshmen.

“It’s nice for now and hopefully for the future we can build on that,” Hopkins said.

Even with its young talent, it was a pair of upperclassmen that produced for the Skippers on Thursday, with junior attacker Anna Erickson and senior midfielder Izabel Matchan each scoring in the first half.

Eden Prairie coach Jessica Mueller said that a sluggish first half and Minnetonka’s solid midfield made the difference on Thursday.

“We didn’t start as strong or as fast as we have been,” Mueller said of her Eagles (8-9-2).

“Credit to Minnetonka. They’re very well-coached, they have a really good midfield and they executed the chances they had,” Mueller said.

Eden Prairie goalkeeper Meghan Kuntz made four saves in the loss.  

Matchan, an all-Lake Conference selection in 2015, made her presence felt with and without the ball.

“She played a heck of a game on both sides of the ball, and that’s what’s important,” Hopkins said.

For Matchan, a three-year varsity player, it was a specific player from the 2013 state championship team that helped spur her own dreams of postseason glory.

“There was this one girl who was like a sister to me sophomore year, and I’ve looked up to her ever since,” Matchan said, referring to former Skipper midfielder Maggie Crist.

Matchan said she looks forward to creating her own memories this time around at US Bank Stadium, where this year's tournament is being held.

First Report

No. 2 seed Minnetonka scored twice in the first half to hold off Eden Prairie, emerging with a 2-0 win on Thursday night at Chanhassen High School in the Class 2A, Section 2 finals. The Skippers' win earns the club a trip to the Class 2A state tournament.

Junior attacker Anna Erickson scored off a corner kick for the Skippers (12-5-2), and senior midfielder Izabel Matchan knocked a bouncing ball in the box past Eden Prairie junior goalkeeper Meghan Kuntz to stretch Minnetonka’s lead to 2-0.

Kuntz made four saves for the losing Eagles (8-9-2), who upended the section's top seed, Edina in the semifinals.


Both Minnetonka Skipper goal scorers Anna Erickson (10) and Isabel Matchan celebrate Matchan's goal in the first half. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine




Section 2AA Girls' Soccer champions, the Minnetonka Skippers. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine

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