Hall-Dale girls soccer players Hayden Madore (11) high-fives teammate Marie Benoit after Benoit scored her second goal of the first half during a game against Monmouth/Winthrop on Thursday in Farmingdale. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

HALLOWELL — A self-described “second-half team” decided to flip the script.

Hall-Dale scored three goals inside the match’s first 14 minutes and never looked back, coasting to a 6-0 win over rival Monmouth/Winthrop in a Mountain Valley Conference girls soccer game Thursday. Striker Marie Benoit had a hat trick, including a pair two minutes apart, in the victory as the Bulldogs improved to 3-0-0.

“Normally, we’re a second-half team,” said Hall-Dale back Addie Tinkham. “With them being our rivals, we really just wanted to take it to them.”

Hayden Madore got the onslaught started in the fifth minute, with Benoit adding crisp finishes from inside the 18-yard box in the 12th and 14th minutes, respectively.

Benoit finished off her three-goal day exactly 10 minutes after the halftime break.

“It was really good to start out strong and have a lot of energy, so we could carry that throughout the game,” Benoit said. “We all played great. We just wanted to start out strong and win.”

Benoit was in the middle of virtually everything the Bulldogs did straight away from the opening kick.

The sophomore finished with three goals but easily could have had more. Her most significant impact on the game was how she made those around her in black shirts also look like viable scoring threats.

Hall-Dale’s Marie Benoit scores an early goal to put the Bulldogs up 2-0 over Monmouth/Winthrop during a game Thursday in Farmingdale. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“She’s important for a number of pieces,” said first-year Hall-Dale coach Mark Tinkham, whose team averages 6.67 goals a game in the early going. “No. 1, she’s a goal scorer. Two, she’s going to attract the opposing defense, which allows others to open up. Against (Spruce Mountain), Hayden Madore had a hat trick, and against Buckfield, Sierra Givens had two.

“If you’re going to go out and play up on Marie, we’ve got enough weapons to utilize them and attack in other ways.”

Karlie Reith and Rita Benoit added late second-half goals to account for the final scoreline.

It was about as complete a performance as Hall-Dale could have played.

“Our strength is definitely playing out wide and getting the ball up the field,” Addie Tinkham said.

The coach said he asked his team to respond following Tuesday’s 6-0 win over Buckfield, in which he felt that the Bulldogs best collective foot hadn’t been put forward.

Hall-Dale’s Hayden Madore, left, makes contact with Monmouth/Winthrop defender Ella Rice during a game Thursday in Farmingdale. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“We preached making sure we went on the offensive and won the 50-50 balls, and the girls came out and played to their potential,” Mark Tinkham said. “(Wednesday), we talked about how do we reset, how do we get back into the (right) mindset — especially against Monmouth.”

The Monmouth/Winthrop co-op effort responded to the three-goal deficit early in the first half and carried the bulk of the play for the remainder of the period. Though the Mustangs (1-1-0) had plenty of possession and kept Hall-Dale from prolonged forays into the offensive third of the pitch, they failed to generate any serious threats on goal for themselves.

Credit there belonged to the Bulldog back four of Tinkham, K.J. Greenhalgh, Jenna Lee and Zoe Soule. The group has yet to concede a goal against this young season.

“We have a rhythm,” Addie Tinkham said. “Once we get in it, it’s great.”

“I’m certainly a defensive-mindset coach,” Mark Tinkham added. “I just want to make sure they’re a cohesive group. They constantly need to work hard. When they get to playoffs, our teams have traditionally done very well in the regular season but then take an early exit. I want to make sure they’re getting minutes and working together as a team.”