FRUITPORT – It was a tough first week overall for the talented but still very young Fruitport girls soccer team.
The Trojans wrapped up it up on Friday with a disappointing 1-0 loss to archrival Spring Lake at home in an early-season battle of two very good squads.
On the bright side, Fruitport finished Week 1 with a much better performance than it turned in on Wednesday in a 5-1 loss to Forest Hills Eastern, another very strong non-conference opponent.
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The two losses followed a 7-0 opening-night win over Hart on Monday.
Fruitport’s defense held firm for much of the night against Spring Lake, with only a single second-half goal proving to be the difference.
Spring Lake’s Baylee Andree scored it with 33:41 remaining in the game, handing Fruitport a narrow defeat despite several strong defensive stretches and key saves from senior goalkeeper Ava Powell.
The Trojans were also snakebitten a bit when a penalty kick was blocked, and several other good scoring chances failed to pay off.
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“I mean, the first half was both ways,” said Fruitport head coach Kyle Hall. “Spring Lake’s a quality program. We maintained our shape and our composure and stuck to our game plan for the most part, but good teams will make you pay for one lapse.”
Hall emphasized that the decisive moment came from a small breakdown against a strong opponent that capitalized on its opportunity.
“That’s the difference,” Hall said. “You have one lapse like when they scored there, and good teams will make you pay for it. You’ve got to play a full 80 minutes to be successful, and that’s what we’re getting after.”
Despite the result, Hall said the Trojans showed improvement from earlier in the week, particularly in their defensive organization and overall shape.
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“I thought our shape together was a lot better today than it was the other day against Forest Hills Eastern,” he said. “We watched plenty of film on ourselves and worked on that, so seeing the girls perform today shows they’re learning and they’re growing, and that’s all we can ask for.”
The first half ended tied 0-0 after both teams traded limited scoring chances, with Fruitport recording two shots on goal and Spring Lake one.
One Fruitport shot was a penalty kick – a close-range one-one-one opportunity against the goalkeeper – that was blocked with 3:21 left if the first half.
Spring Lake broke through early in the second half on Andree’s goal to take a 1-0 lead.
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Fruitport had several great opportunities to score the equalizer in the second half, including one chance by Peyhton Beardsley that was stopped.
Overall the Trojans were outshot 11-7 in the game.
Powell recorded multiple saves to keep the Trojans within striking distance, including stops at the 29-minute mark of the first half and again at 24:02 and 13:12 in the second half. She finished with 10 saves.
The defensive unit of Izzy Hanson-Wilbur, Kaylynn Pavlige, Ava VanVeenelan and Violet Olinghouse anchored a strong backline performance throughout the night.
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