It was a Senior Night the girls won’t soon forget.

The concerns of who won and lost were secondary when a referee collapsed during the Hershey HIgh School soccer Senior Night game against Palmyra.  

The night began with all the HHS seniors being recognized on the field.

The first goal of the night was scored during the first half of the game by junior, Lauren Epler, assisted by sophomore, Kaitlyn Schlemmer.

With halftime approaching, there was an abrupt stop to play. With only a couple minutes left in the first half of the game, one of the referees suddenly collapsed on the field. Coaches and others rushed to his aid, the victim of an apparent heart attack.

CPR was administered by HHS Athletic Trainer Tony Turchetta and two doctors who had been attending the game.  The referee was defibrillated on the field.  Additionally seven emergency vehicles arrived to assist.

The official left the field awake and responsive.  He was also heard thanking those who had helped him.

Once the vehicles left the field the game resumed.  Because of the lengthy delay, it was decided to begin the second half, but add the time lost from the first half.

The scoring in the second half was opened up by Palmyra’s Eden Haldeman, assisted by Mara Bowman. This leveled the score at 1-1.

However, it was not to last. Hershey’s Schlemmer scored with an assist from senior, Hannah Jones. Adding to Hershey’s lead, Epler scored the last two goals of the night with assists from number 2, Maggie Gleason.

Hershey secured the win with a final score of 4-1.

No information on the condition of the referee was available.

Editor’s note: The staff of The Broadcaster wishes the referee a speedy recovery.