The Fruitport boys soccer team had a dream season in 2023.

It all began with a bunch of new starters, and head coach Dan Hazekamp was not sure what to expect – but it turned out to be far better than anyone might have imagined.

The Trojans opened with six straight wins, had a midseason slump with a 1-2-2 record over five games, then became unbeatable for more than a month.

Fruitport went on to win 12 of its last 15 games, with two ties and one loss.

Even more impressively, the Trojans did not give up a single goal for 13 straight games between Sept. 16 and Oct. 26.

The biggest victory of the season came on Oct. 21, when the Trojans beat Grand Rapids Northview 2-0 in a Division 2 district championship game, giving them their first district title since 2008.

That was the final year that the late Ken Erny, a beloved figure in the Fruitport sports community, coached the soccer team. He passed away in June 2023, just a few months before the soccer season started last year.

“After the year we had in 2023 (a 10-8-2 record), and then losing Coach Erny, to be able to have that moment with our guys and get that monkey off our backs, it was really good,” Coach Hazekamp said about the emotional district championship. “We had to do it the hard way, winning some tight games, and it was the thing you strive for. I was excited for our players and coaches.”

Fruitport’s great run ended with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to eventual state champion Grand Rapids Christian in the regional finals. They finished two goals away from qualifying for the state semifinals.

The single goal they gave up in the regional finals was the first goal the Trojans surrendered in 14 games. That long shutout streak was something special that will always have a place in Fruitport soccer history.

“As coaches, we started to talk about how it might be good for us to give up a goal, ease some of that pressure and then see how we responded when we fell behind in a game,” Hazekamp said. “But the guys hung in there and didn’t give up a goal for a very long time. And when we finally did in the regional final, the guys came back really strong and had a lot of opportunities. We were right there with the team that ended up winning the state championship.”

The good news is that the fun should continue for the Trojans this season, which begins on Friday when Fruitport will play Petoskey and Haslett in a pair of games in Petoskey.

While there are no guarantees of championships or long shutout streaks, Fruitport returns 11 players from last year’s outstanding roster, including 8 of the 11 starters.

As Hazekamp puts it, “We return a group of guys with a lot of experience who were major contributors. That should be very valuable this season.”

The Trojans’ biggest challenge may be to keep their heads, remember it’s a new season, and avoid overconfidence at all costs.

“Last year was great for the boys,” Hazekamp said. “Being in the state rankings was awesome. But my thing this whole summer has been about preaching that we have to stay hungry and do the same blue-collar things that got us to this point. The minute we walk on and expect to win, we’re going to lose a lot of games. We will have some adversity, for sure, which is a good thing, because there are some high expectations.”

A lot of Trojans are expected to play very important roles this year.

Offensively, a lot is expected from junior forward Jorge Burgos Yack, who led the team with 18 goals and 9 assists last season. He earned honorable mention All-State honors and was All-Conference, All-District and All-Regional.

“He turned a lot of heads last year,” Hazekamp said about Burgos Yack. “He has a small stature but is electric on the field. He’s going to be a big part of the mix for us offensively.”

Senior Isaac Vandermolen (8 goals and 6 assists last season) and junior Ryder Merkins (7 goals, 2 assists) are two other offensive players to keep an eye on as the season gets rolling.

Defensively, the Trojans return three of four starters on the back line – seniors Sam Krueger (honorable mention All-Conference), Braxton Ward and Isaiah Packard. Those three played a big role in keeping opponents scoreless for 13 straight games last year.

Junior Davis Johnson is also expected to be a strong contributor defensively.

The goalkeeper position will again be manned by standout senior Logan Werschem, who turned in an amazing 15 shutouts last season, including 13 in a row.

“He had a microscopic goals-against average,” Hazekamp said about his goalie. “We will lean on his experience and skill in the back. We hope he can continue to build on a great junior season.”

Hazekamp lists senior midfielder Grade Anspach and junior midfielders Carter Gregor and Satchel Norwood as “players to watch” and sophomore midfielder Hudson Hazekamp and sophomore forward Jyles Smith as promising underclassmen.

After competing in the tough O-K Blue conference, Fruitport has switched to the O-K Silver, along with Calvin Christian, NorthPointe Christian, Hopkins, Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville and Comstock Park.

Hazekamp considers Godwin Heights, Northpoint Christian and Calvin Christian the teams to beat in the conference.