LISBON — Monmouth Academy got a taste of playing from behind Monday in a Mountain Valley Conference boys soccer game against Lisbon.

The Mustangs bounced back and defeated the Greyhounds 5-2 after trailing 1-0 in the first half. It was the first time this season Monmouth played from behind. Monday’s game was also the first time the Mustangs have given up a goal.

“That was the concern, how would we respond?” Monmouth coach Joe Fletcher said. “I like the composure we had, and we stuck to our game plan, for the most part. We played how we practiced.”

Pat Strout led the Mustangs with three goals.

While Monmouth (9-0-0) remains undefeated, Lisbon (7-2-1) suffered its second loss in a row after losing to Winthrop 3-1 on Friday.

“We are just trying to get better and keep improving,” Lisbon coach Shawn Rhoda said. “We hit a little snag here with our confidence; we want to rebuild that and refocus. We want to get a good seeding for the playoffs and move forward from there. I still have a lot of faith and trust in these guys. We are still searching; it’s one of those season-long quests.”

The Greyhounds took the early lead after forward Daniel Levesque made a move in the 18-yard box, but he was tripped by a Monmouth player and awarded a penalty kick. Levesque’s shot went to the far left post an into the net to give Lisbon a 1-0 lead with 25:31 remaining in the first half.

“I thought the first 20 minutes we played well, stuck with our game plan,” Rhoda said. “(Monmouth) has some really dynamic players, and when we get in transition, we are vulnerable. We are trying to straighten that out.”

Soon after Lisbon’s goal, Strout started to create offense for the Mustangs. A 25-yard free-kick sailed over the crossbar, but then he tied the game on a breakaway with 21:47 remaining in the opening half.

“That (goal) certainly gave us energy. (Lisbon) did a really good job (marking Strout early on),” Fletcher said. “He’s our offensive leader. If he can create a crack in their armor, we can continue to work at (creating offense).”

Monmouth also created offense through the air. About four minutes later, a cross from Brandon Smith was headed into the net by Ryan Michaud to put the Mustangs up 2-1 with 17:15 remaining in the half.

Strout scored on a similar play with under six minutes remaining before halftime for a 3-1 lead.

“We definitely wanted to incorporate the plays that we (practiced) in training,” Strout said. “We wanted to execute those in the game. Getting a yard of separation can make a big difference.”

Fletcher said the Mustangs’ defense did well in containing the Greyhounds after their early goal.

“Our two center backs, Zeke Delorme and Matt Marquis, deserve a lot of credit,” Fletcher said. “They played outstanding — we have only given up two goals all year now.”

Monmouth’s momentum carried into the second half, and Strout’s shot in the box gave the Mustangs a 4-1 lead.

“Another thing we talked about is we emphasize if we get a goal, we want to create separation,” Strout said.

Lisbon had a few offensive chances in the second half, but Monmouth goalie Hunter Frost made a save on a Lisbon header and Greyhounds defender Bryce Poulin went in alone on Frost, but his shot hit the crossbar.

Owen Booker scored Lisbon’s second goal off a rebound on a Nicholas Powell 20-yard free kick with about 10 remaining in the game.

Smith added another insurance goal for the Mustangs late in the game.  Smith also had a pair of assists.

The teams meet again in Monmouth on Oct. 17.

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