FRUITPORT – For an undefeated soccer team, the Fruitport Trojans sure had a lot to overcome on Thursday night.

The last time they played, they beat Whitehall, but did not perform particularly well and drew some criticism from their coach.

They also had to deal with some rust, because that Whitehall game was back on Aug. 21, and two opponents had cancelled for various reasons since then.

On top of that, the Trojans had to return from the layoff and play their very first game in their new conference, the O-K Silver, against Godwin Heights, the longtime king of the hill.

The Wolverines had won the conference title for the past two years and had not lost a league game in nearly three years.

The contest did not start out well at all, with the Trojans struggling to mount much offense and trailing 1-0 at halftime.

But instead of getting frustrated against the talented Wolverines, they dug deep, kept battling and eventually turned the tide in the second half.

Fruitport managed the score twice, with hard-earned goals from Jorge Borgos-Yack and Isaac VanderMolen, and pulled off a stunning 2-1 victory in the rain that ended Godwin Heights’ amazing streak.

The Wolverines were 28-0-1 since Sept. 21, 2001, when they lost a conference game to Calvin Christian.

Fruitport improved to 5-0 overall on the season. Godwin Heights dropped to 3-1.

“These are the games where you find out about your guys,” said Fruitport Coach Dan Hazekamp. “You learn what they are made of. I was really proud of our grittiness and determination to keep going, grind it out and finish strong at the end. It was a very good night for us.”

The Trojans were well aware of Godwin Heights’ reputation coming into Thursday’s game, but seemed unable to match the visitors’ fast and physical attack in the first 40 minutes.

Godwin Heights outshot Fruitport 7-1 in the first half and took a 1-0 lead when Gustavo Mazariegos found the net with 13:42 left on the clock.

That remained the score at halftime, and the mood at Ken Erny Field seemed pretty subdued for a close, one-goal game.

But the Trojans quietly regrouped during the break and came out looking like a new team.

They were more successful in keeping the ball in the Godwin Heights zone and creating quality scoring chances.

They finally got the equalizer when Burgos-Yack scored with a shot from just outside the box with 14:18 remaining in the game.

The game-winner came from VanderMolen, who scored from close range with an assist from Davis Johnson with 9:44 left on the clock.

“It was pretty exciting,” VanderMolen said after the game. “I saw Davis coming down, I called for the ball, he and I had kind of a give-and-go play, and I put it away.

“We struggled in the middle connecting passes together (in the first half), but then we came out in the last 40 and showed them what we stand for.”

Godwin Heighs fought furiously to tie the score in the closing minutes, but the Trojans held them off.

Fruitport goalie Logan Werschem played a big role in the win, stopping 9 of 10 Godwin Heights shots, often in traffic with a lot of pressure.

“I thought we generated a few opportunities early in the game but couldn’t get on the end of them, then (Godwin Heights) kind of asserted themselves a little bit,” Hazekamp said about the first half. “They got their goal and gained some confidence and put us back on our heels a little bit.

“At halftime we talked about playing our brand of soccer. We usually tend to be the aggressors and press a little bit, but at times I thought we were trying to do too much and overcomplicating things a bit. Then we simplified things and really answered the bell in the second half.”