VIDEO: Late potential equalizer never crosses line as Lower holds on for first win over Middle in eight years

Posted: October 21st 2025

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com 

ERMA – Baseball has traditionally been described as a game of inches.

The girls soccer teams from Lower Cape May Regional and Middle Township high schools found out Monday evening that their sport can be, too.

Lower Cape May posted its first win over its county rival since 2017, thanks in part to a Middle Township shot with 13 minutes to play that nicked the left post, and rolled across almost the entire goal line without the ball ever fully going over it before it was eventually cleared from danger.

The result of the play kept the score at 2-1 in favor of the Lady Tigers, who held on for victory by the same scoreline.

“Frustrating for sure,” Middle coach Mark Scarpa said. “I’m a solid 70, 80 yards away so obviously I couldn’t see it clearly from where I was. I still don’t know exactly what happened but I do believe the ball didn’t go in. We had three very solid referees here and I know they were on it. I have no problem believing it didn’t go in. Sometimes those are the breaks. It’s a bad cliche, but there it is.” 

On the fateful play, Middle’s Izzy Miller, bidding for her second goal of the game, got in behind the Lower Cape May defense. She was forced wide to the left by Lower goalkeeper Meredith Lutjen, who charged off her line, and retreating defender Maggie King. Miller got off a left-footed shot from a sharp angle that glanced off the post and rolled at least six or seven yards across the goal line before King alertly reacted and swept the ball off the line.

“I think my heart was in my throat there,” Lower coach Darren Rutherford said. “Part of me as I saw the ball rolling was saying, ‘OK, it’s 2-2 and now we’ll probably have to get ready for overtime.’ But then I see it keep sliding across the line. 

“I thought Maggie King did a good job of forcing Izzy outside the post instead of her being able to cut back and get a much better look at goal. It was a very good play by her, very composed.”

Lower opened a two-goal advantage in the first half, both tallies coming off the foot of dynamic freshman Abby Verity, who posted her 21st and 22nd goals of the season. The first came when she finished a shot off a complete scrum in front of the Middle goal only a few moments into the game. The second was on a beautiful free kick from 30 yards that found the small space between Middle goalkeeper Alli Nagle’s outstretched arms and the crossbar a little before the midway point of the half.

Middle, which enjoyed more of the possession throughout the game, responded in the second half. Miller got behind the defense, touched the ball around Lutjen and placed a shot inside the left post midway through the half.

Middle, however, never got an equalizer, denied by inches on Miller’s shot that kissed the post and slowly rolled across the goal line before being cleared.

“We came out flat, and that’s the lesson of the night for us,” Scarpa said. “The final 40 minutes, the second half of the game, I thought we played very, very well. But we came out complacent, slow and lacking intensity at the start and it put us behind the eight ball. You can’t decide to start playing in the 21st or 25th or 30th minute. It’s too hard of a hole to get out of when you’re playing good teams.”

Middle fell to 4-9-1 with the defeat but the team has played better than its record might indicate. The Lady Panthers, as members of the Cape-Atlantic American Conference, have played an extremely difficult schedule.

“We have a lot of difficulties that lie in our conference, because we’re playing quite a few Group IV and Group III powerhouses.” Scarpa said. “I’d like to believe our conference schedule prepares us for tough opponents. Can we go on the road and win a state playoff game? I definitely think we have that capability.”

For Lower, meanwhile, the victory was a sweet one, especially for its seniors who’d never beaten Middle in three previous tries.

“The last time I think it was even real close with them was our seniors’ freshmen year when we were up 1-0 at half but then they scored three unanswered on us,” Rutherford said. “That was a close game that had that intensity that was very similar to tonight.

“I thought we did a good job sticking to our plan, which was to make sure we controlled enough of the middle of the field. Middle is a great team getting the ball in the middle and then creating chances going forward by either playing it out wide or trying to get through balls. Today they were a little more direct. Izzy Miller is a fantastic player. We quelled her a bit in the first half where maybe she wasn’t as active against us but then she really turned it on in the second half.”

Lower (9-5-2) has enjoyed a solid season in the CAL National Conference with a rather young team. The Lady Tigers have three freshmen and a couple of sophomores seeing regular playing time. One of the seniors, center back Riley Deignan, has been a standout in terms of her play and her leadership. 

“The young kids are doing well rising to the occasion playing at this level,” Rutherford said.

Twenty minutes after the game had ended, Rutherford was still shaking his head about the ball that rolled across the goal line.

“We probably have to thank our grounds crew,” he said with a laugh. “Maybe they cut the grass a little against the grain down there and that stopped the ball from going over.”