FARMINGDALE — The Hall-Dale girls soccer team scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of its Class C South quarterfinal against Monmouth/Winthrop on Tuesday afternoon.
For the remaining 70 minutes, it was a defensive battle — one the Bulldogs would win en route to a 2-1 victory.
No. 4 Hall-Dale (11-4-0) advanced to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2014. The Bulldogs also beat the Mustangs for a third this fall; it prevailed 1-0 on Sept. 1 and 4-0 on Oct. 16.
“It’s crazy,” said senior midfielder Jenna Lee, who scored one of Hall-Dale’s goals. “I knew we could do it, because Monmouth is our biggest rival and brought a lot of energy for us. I’m really proud of us, because it’s such an accomplishment to get out of this round, because it’s been so long.”
“It’s a relief,” added senior forward Haley Madore. “We were kind of unsure (coming in) because it’s Monmouth, and we’ve seen them twice. It’s kind of hard to beat a team three times.”
No. 5 Monmouth/Winthrop finished 8-6-1.
Lee scored the first goal for the Bulldogs with 33:13 remaining in the first half. Just two minutes later, junior Lucy Gray scored to make it a 2-0 game.
“Historically against Monmouth, if we jump out on top, we usually come out (with a win),” Hall-Dale head coach Mark Tinkham said. “The first game of the season, it was 0-0 (through regulation play) and (Monmouth) came out with confidence and more confidence, forced the game into double-overtime… The second game, we jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead and were able to build upon it. If we started quick today, we knew we’d come out of it with a victory.”
Monmouth/Winthrop’s Abby Atwood, left, tries to get around Hall-Dale’s Hayden Madore during a Class C South girls soccer quarterfinal Tuesday in Farmingdale. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
For the rest of the first half, play was fast, furious and physical. Monmouth/Winthrop cut the lead midway through the first half, when sophomore Audrey Langlois managed to rebound her own shot and knocked the ball into the net. Heading into halftime, the Bulldogs had a 2-1 lead.
“When (Monmouth) got that one (goal), we were like, ‘Oh no, is this the curse?’” Madore said. “But we just played through it.”
The Mustangs kept the offensive pressure on Hall-Dale early in the second half, but the Bulldogs kept the ball away and to the sidelines late to preserve the victory.
“I’m super proud of the way the girls came out and played,” Tinkham said. “The second half was a defensive battle. But we dug in, we bent, but we didn’t (break). I’m certainly happy with that performance.”
Monmouth/Winthrop head coach Gary Trafton said he was happy with his team’s fight throughout.
“We kept possession quite a bit,” Trafton said. “The last 13-15 minutes, (Hall-Dale) just ran the ball into the corners and kept it there, it’s just part of their game… I think we showed we can pass as good as anybody. I was very proud of the girls. Two mistakes early on. The girls could’ve dropped their heads, but didn’t. Couldn’t get as many chances as we’d like, but that’s the way it goes.”
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