FRUITPORT – The Fruitport boys soccer team has spent the early part of the season showing that an inexperienced roster does not necessarily mean a rebuilding year.

On Tuesday, the Trojans showed something else – they can respond like mature varsity players when things go against them.

Fruitport erased a one-goal deficit with two goals in the final 18 minutes, including the game-winner from senior defender Hayden Taylor, to defeat North Muskegon 2-1 at Ken Erny Field.

The comeback kept Fruitport, the second-ranked Division 2 team in the state, unbeaten with a record of 6-0-2.

“We fought hard,” said Fruitport senior standout Hudson Hazekamp. “I thought we would battle back, and it came out with a good result.”

The victory came five days after Fruitport played Reeths-Puffer to a scoreless tie, a match in which the Trojans generated plenty of opportunities but could not finish them.

Head coach Dan Hazekamp said afterward that his young team needed to improve its composure and ability to finish.

Against North Muskegon, the Trojans showed a lot of progress in both categories.

The Norse struck first after a Fruitport foul just outside the box. North Muskegon’s Jackson Stone scored on the ensuing direct kick with 26:49 remaining in the first half, giving the visitors a 1-0 advantage.

Fruitport goalkeeper Sebastian Sweet kept the deficit from growing, making three first-half saves. The Trojans entered halftime trailing despite putting three shots on goal and earning three corner kicks. North Muskegon finished the half with four shots on goal and one corner.

Fruitport began to take control after halftime.

Senior midfielder Gavin Wilson nearly tied the game on a breakaway very early in the half, sending his attempt just wide. Junior forward Quincy McDaniels followed with a shot on goal with 36:12 left, and later had another one-on-one opportunity, but nothing found the mark.

The pressure finally paid off with 17:35 remaining in the game.

Hudson Hazekamp stepped up for a free kick and put the ball on frame, beating the North Muskegon goalkeeper to tie the game 1-1.

With the wet conditions affecting play, Hazekamp’s goal was less about finding the perfect shot and more about creating an opportunity.

“I mean, it’s wet, so I just put it on frame,” Hudson Hazekamp said. “Either gonna get a rebound, so one of my teammates can put it in, or, I mean, win it.”

The goal opened the door to a frantic final 15 minutes.

Fruitport continued pushing forward. McDaniels broke free again with 9:06 remaining, but sent his shot wide right, leaving the game tied.

Then, with 5:13 remaining, North Muskegon committed a foul just outside the box. The ensuing free kick was knocked down, creating a scramble in front of the net, and Taylor capitalized on the rebound, scoring with 4:46 remaining to give Fruitport its first and final lead.

The drama was not finished.

Fruitport had to survive two North Muskegon chances in the final minutes. Sweet made a save with 2:15 remaining, then came through again on a dangerous shot by the Norse’s Connor Waldron with just 53 seconds left.

That final save preserved a comeback that Coach Hazekamp believes will be valuable for the team.

“We talk about composure and resilience a lot,”  he said. “We had a lot of chances, a lot of clean looks in the box that we just didn’t convert, but the bigger thing that sticks out to me is, instead of pouting and rolling over, we kept going, we found a way to manufacture some goals.”

The Trojans’ second-half response was particularly notable, considering the issues Hazekamp has seen early in games this season. Fruitport has regularly improved as games progress, something the coach attributes in part to the team’s depth.

“Unfortunately, I feel like we’ve been a little bit of a slow-starting team,” Hazekamp said. “We play a lot of guys, so as the game goes on, we tend to pick up steam a little bit. But, you know, sometimes you’re not going to be able to recover from a deficit.”

Fruitport finished with a 9-6 advantage in shots on goal and a commanding 9-1 advantage in corner kicks. Sweet made five saves, including the two critical stops in the closing minutes.

Fruitport will travel to Hopkins for an O-K Silver conference game on Thursday.