FRUITPORT – There was probably some confusion among fans on Saturday when the Fruitport soccer team scored its first goal.

The PA announcer identified the player who put the ball in the net, and the name was not familiar.

Carter Latsch? Maybe a kid called up from junior varsity, or someone who was injured up until now?

Nope. It was the player formerly known as Carter Gregor, who recently had his last name legally changed to match the name of his beloved grandparents.

So his name is different, but he’s still the same guy who scores goals in key situations, and he did that again for the Trojans, finding the net twice to lead his team to an impressive 3-0 victory over archrival Spring Lake at Fruitport’s Ken Erny Field.

“I was just in the right spot at the right time,” Latsch said after the game. “I can’t thank my teammates enough, and God, for putting me in a position to get those two goals. It was a great win.”

Fruitport Coach Dan Hazekamp said Latsch is a guy you want around opposing goal in big games and big moments.

“He’s got a knack for finding the net at critical moments,” Hazekamp said. “He would be the first to tell you that he was battling some things earlier in the season, but lately he’s been really good. He’s been finding his confidence, and we’re hoping he’s kind of peaking at the right time, near the end of the year.”

Fruitport, now 12-3-3 on the season, has won five straight games and 12 of its last 13. The Trojans have also gone eight straight games without giving up a goal. Seven of those were victories while one was a 0-0 tie.

The win was particularly sweet for the Trojans, because Spring Lake tied them last year, putting the only blemish on their otherwise perfect regular season record.

“We always know it’s going to be a hotly-contested game between two really good teams,” Coach Hazekamp said about the rivalry with the Lakers. “We were fortunate enough to get ahead early. That was a really big factor in swinging the momentum.”

Both teams put their share of offensive pressure on the opposing goal, but only Fruitport cashed in, and Latsch was the guy who gave the Trojans the critical early advantage.

He scored his first goal almost nine minutes into the game, booting a floating ball out of the air from close range and beating the Spring Lake goalkeeper. The ball came to him on a throw-in from teammate Hudson Hazekamp.

“Hudson can chuck a ball pretty far, and it just came to my feet,” Latsch said. “I just hit it – right spot, right time.”

Latsch gave the Trojans a 2-0 lead with 14:11 in the first half , when the Laker goalie came out of the net to try to kill the attack, and Latsch got past him and scored again.

Davis Johnson got the assist.

Fruitport had a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal in the first half and led 2-0 at halftime, which provided a huge mental lift for the rest of the game.

Both teams had their chances again in the second half, with the Trojans posting a 4-3 edge in shots.

The only goal came almost 14 minutes into the half when Jorge Burgos-Yack blasted a high shot from just outside the box to the left of the Spring Lake net, then celebrated with black flips when the ball went in.

Spring Lake put some late pressure on the Trojans, but Fruitport goalie Mason Kettel stood his ground and made several nice saves to preserve the shutout.

Hazekamp praised the efforts of Johnson and Jayden Booker in the midfield, as well as the defensive back line of  Ryder Doherty, Nathaniel Cribley Cotto, Hudson Hazekamp, Ryder Chan and Gavin Wilson.

The outcome was a good omen for the Trojans, because the Division 2 state tournament is right around the corner, starting with districts. Spring Lake is in Fruitport’s district, and now the Trojans know they have the ability to beat a good team they could meet again in a much bigger game.

“We know we’re going to see a lot of good teams at the end here,” Coach Hazekamp said. “We have a really tough district coming up. That’s why you schedule teams like this, so you can be challenged and figure things out, and hopefully at the end you are playing your best soccer.”

Fruitport will host Belding on Tuesday in the opening round of the O-K Silver conference tournament.