LCMR, down 3-0 with 20 minutes left, scored twice, bounced third off crossbar
ERMA — Perseverance was the word of the day for the Caper Tiger girls soccer team Oct. 22.
Down 3-0 to Cumberland Regional High School’s team with 20 minutes left in the second half, the Lower Cape May Regional High School girls charged back and were inches away from tying the game with just over a minute left.
After getting goals from freshman Abby Verity and sophomore Alli Walker, the Caper Tigers earned a corner kick with time running down. Verity, who has 23 goals on the season, arced the ball in front of the net.
Head coach Darren Rutherford knew it was score or nothing, so he moved his entire team forward to crash the net. In the ensuing melee, senior Kate Walker got her head on the ball and sent it toward the net, but it bounced off the crossbar. So close.
The Cumberland players were finally able to clear the ball and with all of the LCMR players on the attack, sent Ellie Bodine off to the races. Bodine was able to come in alone on Caper Tiger goalie Meredith Lutjen to earn her fourth goal of the game for the 4-2 final. Julianna Rivera was credited with two assists and Elizabeth Lopez and Diana Ragonese with one each on Bodine’s goals.
“I’m OK with getting a fourth goal scored against us if it meant I have a chance to tie the game,” Rutherford said.
The Caper Tigers came off a 2-1 win over rival Middle Township (4-9-1) earlier in the week, when Verity scored two goals and Avery Proud provided the assist.
Lutjen has made 25 saves over the course of the last three games, including a 0-0 tie with Atlantic Tech.
Talking about this players’ perseverance, Rutherford said over the last handful of games, “We’ve gotten really good results through that heart and through that determination. We had a 1-0 game a week and a half ago against one of the top opponents in our conference. We had a 0-0 tie. We weren’t able to score anything, but we still managed to somehow get a shutout with the tie, and then we played our rival Middle on Monday and got a really great win.
“It was a lot of perseverance and it was a lot of heart and it was a lot of determination,” the coach said.
In the game against the Cumberland Regional Colts, he added, “I’m just proud of my girls for not laying down. They could have easily done that with 25 minutes left in that second half, down three-nothing. It was in the back of my mind. I was like, ‘I just hope they don’t.’ And they didn’t.
“They showed a lot of character out there with keeping their heads on straight and showing a lot of really good sportsmanship when it was getting a little chippy,” he said. “I’ve always preached” to keep it under control and stay composed.
“We’re playing good soccer,” he added. “It’s not like we’re just getting wins based off of determination and heart. We are getting some good wins off of playing some really nice-looking soccer. That comes with the younger players having the experience playing at a little bit of a higher level at the club level.”
Along with leading her team in goals, Verity leads in points with 49. Alli Walker has seven goals, four assists and 19 points; senior Ella Osmundsen four goals, five assists and 13 points; sophomore Avery Proud three goals, six assists and 12 points; and senior Julia Deignan two goals, five assists and nine points.
In addition to Osmundsen and Julia Deignan, the Caper Tigers have five other seniors on the team — Riley Deignan, Kate Walker, Lutjen, Jasmine Black and Nouran Moustafa.
“We’re a pretty young team,” Rutherford said. “We are graduating seven seniors, but about half of our starters are freshmen and sophomores, so we’ve got a lot of really good experience coming back next year. One of our freshmen, Abby Verity, is one of the top freshman scorers in the state in points and in goals.
“We’re a really small school down at the bottom of the state, but we’re still bringing in quality players that are happy to be here,” he said. “They’re happy to represent Lower Cape May Regional. I’ve got three quality sophomores. My defense is young and they’re getting a lot of time right now.”
He said freshman Avery Hanson is playing well at outside back and sophomore Maggie King is “going to be coming into a big role next year. My seniors have been playing really well, too.”
Rutherford also cited seniors Riley Deignan, Osmundsen and Lutjen, who just hit the 400 mark in saves.
Individuals are doing well, but the coach said success depends on them being “a collective. And I think this year has been one of the best years of everyone’s playing for each other and playing together, which is great.”
The LCMR girls were 9-6-2 after the game and in a solid seventh place in the Group II power points, giving them a good shot at a home playoff game when the sectionals begin next week.
By DAVID NAHAN/Cape May Star and Wave
