WMC Boys Soccer Title Race Heats Up as Fremont, North Muskegon Finish in Stalemate

FREMONT – When two unbeaten heavyweights from the West Michigan Conference collide, you expect fireworks. Wednesday night in Fremont, the Packers and the Norse delivered exactly that — a high-stakes slugfest that ended in a 2-2 draw, keeping both squads unbeaten but leaving with some what ifs…

North Muskegon came out sharp and landed the opening strike. Boston Stone slipped a perfectly weighted ball through the defense, and Navaro Esareno buried it to put the Norse on top 1-0. They carried that lead into halftime, looking every bit like the team that had bulldozed its first three league foes by a combined 18-0.

But Fremont wasn’t about to roll over. The second half started with a jolt as Deagan Klimek ripped a shot that ricocheted off the keeper’s hands, and Javon Basso pounced, hammering it home to even the score just four minutes after the break. Eleven minutes later, Klimek called his own number, blasting in a go-ahead goal that gave them a 2-1 lead with around half the period remaining. Still, the Norse weren’t rattled. With seven minutes left on the clock, they clawed back with a clutch equalizer.

Statistically, North Muskegon had the edge, outshooting Fremont 12-6, but the Packers had their own ace in net. Keeper Caleb Vissia stood tall with 10 saves, stonewalling wave after wave of Norse attacks. On the opposite end, Braxtan Fairchild came up with four stops to keep North Muskegon afloat when Fremont pressed.

When it was all said and done, Fremont now sits at 8-0-2 overall, 3-0-1 in the WMC, and will head to Muskegon on Friday. North Muskegon remains unbeaten at 5-0-3 overall, 3-0-1 WMC, with Ravenna coming to town Monday for another conference matchup.

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