SALEM —Reid Parlin, a junior, had two long-range goals for the Hall-Dale boys soccer team in a 3-1 victory over Mt. Abram on Tuesday in a battle between the last two Class C state champions.

Sophomore Greyson Cary added an insurance goal for the Bulldogs (6-0-2) with 1:34 left. Sophomore goalkeeper Landon Gilbert had two saves.

“It feels great, we’ve never won a game (in Salem) my entire high school career,” Parlin said. “Coming up here and beating them on the road feels really great.”

The Bulldogs’ last win at Mt. Abram was in 2019, said coach Jesse Rowe.

“We expected that (kind of) game,” Rowe said. “(Mt. Abram) played hard, just like we expected they would.”

Junior Brennan Mitchell scored for the Roadrunners (5-2-1), while junior goalie Ben Beaulier made three saves.

Hall-Dale, the defending Class C state champ, remains atop the Class C South Heal point standings. Mt. Abram entered the game at No. 3.

“I have to give Coach (Jason) Wing a ton of credit for having the boys ready to play. That’s a talented group and they represent their school with pride,” Rowe said. “Today, we just did enough. There’s a lot more to do, but we did enough.”

How did they get there?

Accuracy, particularly from Parlin. With 28 minutes remaining in the first half, Parlin knocked a pass off Mt. Abram’s Jamie Hering, then rebounded the ball and sent a high, arching shot from about 30 yards just beyond the outstretched fingertips of Beaulier, giving Hall-Dale a 1-0 lead.

Nearly 22 minutes later, Parlin was awarded a free kick, again from about 30 yards. He had more power behind this kick, and it sailed into the top left corner.

“That first (goal), I just tried to send that long ball in. It went a good length, and I was just hoping it would squeak by (Beaulier), and it did,” Parlin said. “The second one, I was really trying to put it top left (in the net). Thankfully it did, it was a great shot.”

Mt. Abram cut the lead to 2-1 with 18:09 left in the second half when Mitchell was able to break away with the ball, cut to his right and fire a shot past Gilbert into the bottom left corner of the net.

Cary sealed it, finding just enough room to knock a shot past Beaulier.

“The ball was kind of bouncing around, Colby (Keene) was fighting for it, and I think Davis (Madore) was fighting for it,” Cary said. “It was right in front of me and I just toe-balled it as hard as I could. It was a great play.”

Solid saves

Hall-Dale could have possibly had five goals, but Beaulier made two outstanding saves in the second half. He was able to punch a Karter Eldridge shot away with his right hand early in the half, and later made a diving save on a shot from Kris McGrath with 14:36 remaining.

Win for an injured teammate

Rowe made a point to give a shout out to sophomore Korigan Greenhalgh, who recently suffered a season-ending knee injury.

“We definitely put the time and effort in today to make sure we represented him well,” Rowe said. “He’d be out there if he could.”

They said it

“There’s a lot of growth in this group. We lost six starters (to graduation), and we haven’t looked back from that. … (The key) is being able to work together, being able to figure out what the other team is throwing at you, not panicking and taking a team’s best shot. Understanding that we have experience, and even though we’re young in some places, we have plenty of soccer IQ out there.” – Jesse Rowe, Hall-Dale coach

“I think (the strength) is our chemistry. We’ve been playing together since second, third or fourth grade. We’re just always putting in the effort. We just find ways to put it together and win.” – Greyson Cary, Hall-Dale sophomore

Statistical leaders

Hall-Dale: Reid Parlin (2 goals), Greyson Cary (1 goal), Landon Gilbert (2 saves)

Mt. Abram: Brennan Mitchell (1 goal), Ben Beaulier (3 saves)