MONMOUTH — Three first-half goals gave Monmouth Academy some breathing room when Hall-Dale came out fast and furious in the second half of a Class C South girls’ soccer quarterfinal game.

The fifth-ranked Bulldogs were a menacing bunch for 20 solid minutes, but the fourth-ranked Mustangs regrouped and responded with their fourth goal before leaving the field with a 4-1 victory on a chilly Tuesday afternoon.

Monmouth (11-2-2) will face the winner of the No. 9 Traip Academy-No. 1 Sacopee Valley game in the semifinals on Friday.

The Mustangs owned the first half and were relentless, especially when the Grandhal sisters got things going on offense.

With 33:09 left in the first half, Emily Grandhal landed Monmouth’s first goal, unassisted, on a direct kick that sailed past by Hall-Dale goalie Haley Taker, who was under siege and made eight saves. Nearly 23 minutes later, the Mustangs’ Haley Fletcher got some assistance from Sammy Grandhal and scored off a corner kick.

“We played with a lot of heart today,” senior Sammy Grandhal said. “I knew it could be my last game. It kind of struck me yesterday that this could be my last practice. We are really closes with our teammates.”

The Mustangs didn’t let up. Sammy Grandhal punched in her unassisted goal with 7:35 left and the Mustangs were feeling pretty sure of themselves going into the second half with a 3-0 lead.

The Bulldogs weren’t about to call it day in the second half. Hall-Dale reeled off eight shots at Monmouth goalie Mikayla Cameron, who made eight saves for the day. A frustrated Hall-Dale finally slipped the ball past Cameron with 12:14 left in the game. Dani Sweet scored a feed from Addie Davis.

“The second half, we had a lull there,” Monmouth coach Gary Trafton said. “We had two golden opportunities to score in the second half.

“I am pleased with how the girls came back today. We have had a hard time putting a whole game together.”

Monmouth responded in kind when Sammy Grandhal sent the ball over Sydney Wilson who deposited it into the net to give her team a 4-1 lead.

“That’s a very, very good team,” Hall-Dale coach Guy Cousins said. “That’s one of the toughest defending teams in our conference.

“They have something to prove. They came out hard. It was a very physically, challenging game. I think for the first 20 minutes (of the second half), we just pounded. When we did score, you could feel the lift.

“They broke our hearts when they scored with that five-minute goal to make it to 4-1.”

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