Photo by Troy L. Hugen Photography
The Pella Christian soccer team dominated a doubleheader Tuesday night in Oskaloosa, with the girls winning the opening game 3-0 and the boys winning 4-1.
At the night's kickoff, the Eagle girls took control of the game in the first half and never looked back. Claire Wynn Fogle scored early in the first half, then used an assist from Tori Van Zee to break through the Indians' defense and take the lead five minutes into the game. Then, in the 33rd minute, Emma Zula found Caris Fickert in the box and Fickert slipped the ball past the Oskaloosa goalie, pushing Pella Christian's first-half advantage to 2-0. The Eagles added the finishing touch to the win in the 58th minute. Esther Ford crossed the ball into the box and Hattie Fancher found the net, pushing PC to 8-6 and 2-2 on the season. 3rd place in Little Hawkeye Conference play.
During the nightcap of the doubleheader, Pella Christian players put pressure on the Indians defense all night. Nathan Brower scored from a free kick in the 18th minute of the first half, giving the Eagles an early lead. Junior Ethan Van Allendonk took over the game in the second half and scored a hat trick in the final 40 minutes to secure the victory. In the 44th minute, Van Aerendonk took advantage of Elias Keegan's long feed and broke the goal, pushing Pella Christian's advantage to 2-0. Then, in the 64th minute, Camden Parker converted a shot from Van Aerendonk inside the box, and the junior's shot hit the post, hit the goalkeeper and was slotted into the net for his second goal of the night. Oskaloosa added its only goal of the night in the 77th minute, but two minutes later Van Allendonk beat the goalie on an assist from Keegan Juffer for a hat trick. The win moves PC's record to 7-6 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
The Eagles soccer team concludes its regular season games Friday night with a road doubleheader at Van Meter. The women's game is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m., and the men's game is scheduled to start around 6:15 p.m.
