MONMOUTH – Monmouth Academy experienced the opposite of a senior moment Monday afternoon.

The Mustangs forgot a few of the finer details that spell the difference between yearlings and workhorses in the crowded middle of the Mountain Valley Conference boys’ soccer pack.

Hall-Dale consequently walked away from Chick Field on the happy end of a 5-0 disparity that neither side expected.

“It should not have been a 5-0 game, but they outworked us and they earned the win,” said Monmouth coach Drew Riddle. “We have the potential, and we have the skill. We need a little more leadership and execution to hang in there.”

Monmouth (2-2) exploded from the starting gate this season with a surprising flourish. This stark drop to .500 was a friendly reminder that the Mustangs lack a little something relative to the competition.

Namely, upperclassmen. They have none.

“We have seven juniors, six sophomores and five freshmen. At this point with the age that we have, it’s been a good start,” Riddle said. “The intensity this game was not where it should be and where it has been in the past.”

Stuck in a similar pattern, Hall-Dale (2-2) experienced one of its up days. The Bulldogs suffered a pair of 3-0 losses and celebrated a win by the same score through the opening week.

Nick Bickford scored the first two goals to trigger the explosion. James McCullum, Corey Hawkins and Ethan Solloway all followed suit.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys this year, probably seven guys back from last year,” said Hall-Dale coach Steve Acedo. “We’ve had two games that we were a little lax on defense and passing.”

Not this time. Defense and offense worked in perfect harmony, with transition in the neutral zone setting the table for a flurry of odd-man breakaways in the second half.

Bickford’s second goal of the game ensured that momentum wore a black Bulldogs road jersey for the duration. He connected from close range at 1:13 of the second half to double what was a tenuous lead at intermission.

“The big one in my mind was the assist from my buddy Robert Youde,” Bickford said of his second strike. “He chipped it over their defense and it just kind of hung there for me. It got us going, which is what I care about.”

Youde also set up Solloway’s goal with 12:55 remaining.

In between, James McCullum snapped a 10-yard blast past Monmouth goalkeeper Seth Musich with an assist from Brandon Gilbert. Hawkins also scored after being left unmarked in front of the cage.

“They moved the ball really well tonight. We didn’t execute the way that we have the potential to execute,” Riddle said. “They beat us to just about every single 50-50 ball. You’re not going to move the ball downfield if you don’t get to the ball.”

Musich made 12 saves for Monmouth.

Tyler Mannix denied seven shots for the Bulldogs. His defensive mates put the clamps on scoring opportunities by Noah Bosworth, Nick Trenholm and Allen Thomas that could have given the Mustangs life.

“Defense did what it always does,” Bickford said. “I’m really proud of our guys.”