FRUITPORT – The Fruitport girls soccer team is really young, with eight freshmen and sophomores on the roster – but the Trojans are also very talented.

They are probably a few years away from reaching their maximum potential, but could they be good enough to compete for an O-K Silver conference championship this spring?

Their opponents from Godwin Heights would probably say yes.

Fruitport came out firing on all cylinders on Monday, plowing past Godwin Heights 8-0 in a mercy rule game that ended at halftime at Ken Erny Field.

The victory was the third in a row for the Trojans and improved their overall record to 4-3 and their conference mark to 2-0.

They will travel to play Hopkins on Wednesday in a battle of the only unbeaten teams in the O-K Silver.

The rest of the season will tell us if the y0ung Trojans can challenge for the trophy, but Fruitport head coach Kyle Hall knows they have been properly prepared for the challenge.

Fruitport lost three straight games earlier in the season against very good teams from Spring Lake, Mona Shores and Western Michigan Christian. The defeats were humbling, but the experience was priceless, according to the coach.

Spring Lake is the defending Division 2 state champion and WMC is ranked second in the state in Division 4.

“We started the season off with a couple tough games,” Hall said. “But that’s the kind of competition that we want to play to prepare us.”

Several promising freshmen on the Fruitport roster seem more than prepared, based on their performance on Monday.

Just 3:25 into the game, freshman McKenna Joslyn found the back of the net to give Fruitport a 1-0 lead.

Just 2:50 later, freshman Pehyton Beardsley scored to extend the lead to 2-0.

At the 8:23 mark, freshman Myla Parker joined the scoring parade, giving Fruitport a 3-0 edge.

The Trojans final two goals were scored by Joslyn and freshman Porter Johnson.

Suffice to say, the youngsters can put the ball in the net.

“We wondered how they’d adjust because club soccer (where the freshmen developed) is a different animal,” Hall said. “You can have a 13- or 14-year-old girl playing against a 17- or 18-year old. Skill-wise, we knew what was there. They’ve responded well and I couldn’t be more pleased with what they’ve done so far.”

Senior Makalya Boelkins also had a big night, scoring Fruitport’s fourth and fifth goals. Junior Haylee Beery added the sixth goal.

“It’s super fun,” Boelkins said. “Especially to do it in such a big win. We’ve been trying to build up the momentum, and getting those goals was an energy booster.

“It’s good to just take the opportunity and get everyone a chance to score. It’s just exciting to see everyone’s face when sometimes they might not play as much, and then they get to play and sometimes even score. So, it’s super fun for us as a team.”