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Hopes of a ninth consecutive trip to the State Soccer Tournament for the Pella girls were met unkindly by a solid squad from LaPorte City, as the Lady Dutch fell to Union 3-0 in last night’s Class 1-A Regional Final in Marshalltown.

Union struck first, with a through ball in the penalty area in just the 8th minute of play, but Pella regrouped and played strong defense for much of the remainder of the opening period, before the Knights scored on a penalty kick following a controversial foul.

Down 2-0, the Pella girls played even more aggressively in the second period, but were unable to put the ball in the net, despite several nice runs deep into Union’s defense. The Knights tacked on one final score on a header from a corner kick to make the score 3-0 and advance to the State Tournament.

For the match, Pella was out-shot 19-7 and lost the battle of corner kicks 10-2. Kelsey Fynaardt had six saves in goal, while Union’s keeper recorded three. The Pella girls soccer team finishes the season with an overall record of 9-9.