Pella Christian Boys Soccer Holds On For Win Over Knoxville

Eagles take advantage of wind in first half to build 2-0 lead, fend off late Panthers rally

Apr. 14, 2026 at 4:00pm

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A fragmented, cubist-style painting depicting the dynamic movements and competing perspectives of a boys soccer match, with sharp planes of green, blue, and yellow hues.A geometric, cubist interpretation of the intense back-and-forth action on the pitch as Pella Christian and Knoxville battled through the windy conditions.Pella Today

The Pella Christian boys soccer team built a 2-0 lead in the first half by taking advantage of strong winds, then held off a late rally by Knoxville to win 2-1 on Monday night. Pella Christian's Ben Van Wyngarden and Elias Keegan scored in the first half, while Knoxville's Andrew Bailey scored in the second half, but two other Panthers goals were disallowed.

Why it matters

This was an important early-season matchup between two of the top boys soccer programs in the area. Pella Christian's win keeps them undefeated on the season, while Knoxville suffered its second loss. The game was also impacted by the strong winds, which played a key factor in the scoring.

The details

Pella Christian scored both of its goals in the first half, with Ben Van Wyngarden finding the net with 15:13 left and Elias Keegan scoring off an assist from Asher Edel with 6:20 remaining. Knoxville responded in the second half with a goal from Andrew Bailey off a throw-in with 12:04 left, but the Panthers also had two other goals disallowed - one for offside and one when Pella Christian's goalie Dallas Ford was ruled to have possession and was fouled.

  • The game was played on Monday, April 14, 2026.
  • Pella Christian scored its first goal with 15:13 left in the first half.
  • Pella Christian scored its second goal with 6:20 left in the first half.
  • Knoxville scored its goal with 12:04 left in the second half.
  • The game was played with a sustained wind of nearly 30 miles per hour.

The players

Ben Van Wyngarden

A player for the Pella Christian boys soccer team who scored the first goal of the game.

Elias Keegan

A player for the Pella Christian boys soccer team who scored the second goal of the game off an assist from Asher Edel.

Andrew Bailey

A player for the Knoxville boys soccer team who scored his team's lone goal in the second half.

Dallas Ford

The goalie for the Pella Christian boys soccer team who had possession of the ball and was fouled, leading to one of Knoxville's disallowed goals.

Asher Edel

A player for the Pella Christian boys soccer team who provided the assist on Elias Keegan's goal.

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What’s next

Pella Christian is set to play Dallas Center-Grimes tonight at the Pella Sports Park, while Knoxville will host a strong Des Moines Christian squad tonight at Randy Wilson Track.

The takeaway

This game highlighted the importance of taking advantage of weather conditions, as Pella Christian's first-half goals with the wind at their backs proved to be the difference. It also showed the competitiveness of the area's top boys soccer programs, with Knoxville nearly rallying back despite the disallowed goals.