FARMINGDALE – It was a rough start for the Jay/Livermore Falls girls’ soccer team Saturday.

But at least it was a beginning.

Hall-Dale scored five first-half goals en route to a 6-0 win in the inaugural game for the cooperative team.

Lindsay Nyitray scored a pair of goals while transfer Arian Kumlangngam added a goal and two assists to lead the Bulldogs (1-0).

Dressed in light, pink jerseys, the Wildcats (0-1) managed just eight shots on goal and only had a couple of legitimate scoring chances.

“The second half was much better than the first,” said Jay/Livermore Falls coach Travis Magnusson. “We were a little timid and in the second half we started winning some of the 50-50 balls. We switched some things around and I think we found a style that’s better for us.”

Just over six minutes into the game, the Bulldogs notched their first goal when senior Michelle Severance sent a crossing pass through the crease area that was accidentally tapped in by a Wildcat defender.

Nyitray scored the next two goals. The first came on a cross from Severance. The second, with 12:59 left in the half, came off a direct kick from Meg Cousins which was touched toward Nyitray by Brittany Ladner.

Kumlangngam fed Aimee Pelletier with 1:54 left in the half to increase the lead to 4-0 and added a goal of her own with just thirty seconds left. The Erskine transfer lofted a ball over the head of Wildcat keeper Brittany Castonguay (four saves).

“She’s a big help,” said Nyitray. “She sends really good crosses and she’s a big part of the team already.”

“She’s a great addition,” added Hall-Dale coach Guy Cousins.

“She works well with the group we have. She’s a natural fit.”

Halley Longfellow completed the scoring late in the second half when she took a pass from Kumlangngam and beat keeper Katie Beaulieu (eight saves) with a low, hard shot.

The play of midfielder Katie Webber and the second-half goaltending by Beaulieu were two of the positives for Magnusson and the Wildcats.

More importantly, there is something to build and improve upon.

“Our weakness is we don’t kick the ball as far as the other teams,” said Magnusson. “We just have to get to the ball quicker than they do. We (also) need to be mentally ready to play every game. This is a varsity schedule. It’s the real deal.”

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