Monday evening was Senior Night for the girls soccer team at McCaskey but the game was not on home grounds. Franklin And Marshall College was established in Lancaster in 1853, the school is named for Benjamin Franklin and Chief Justice John Marshall. I've had dealings with F&M in the past, from 2001 to 2007 I did the PA for their football games but that's another story for another time. The college opened an artificial-turf stadium for soccer in 2007, in recent seasons McCaskey has played there occasionally. I've driven by the place any number of times but this was the first time I was actually in the facility. Although there was a press box and seating areas on one side of the field the clock operator and I worked from a portable booth on the opposite side where the player benches were located. The senior recognitions started around 5:45, the game kicked off shortly after 6:00 and was eerily similar to the boys' game at the stadium the week before. JPM trailed 2-0 in the second half before rallying to force overtime, in the OT visiting Donegal was awarded a penalty kick and converted it for the 3-2 win. Definitely a movie we've seen before. On Tuesday Jenny and her mother came into town after lunch, in late afternoon we made our way to Berks County and an outdoor restaurant just south of Reading. After a three-year absence the annual Royals Meet-And-Greet for season-ticket holders was back with the players actually present, there had been a similar event in 2021 at the same venue but league protocols required the players to be absent. Former assistant coach James Henry is the Royals' new head coach, he succeeds Kirk MacDonald who has taken a coaching position in the USHL. Former ECHL veteran Jason Binkley is the new assistant coach, he was most recently an assistant coach in the SPHL. Most of the '21-22 team has moved on either to other teams or retirement, right now there are five returnees on the roster: defensemen Will MacKinnon, Garrett McFadden. Dominic Cormier and Mike Chen plus forward Tyler Kirkup. The club plays an exhibition game in Glens Falls with the Adirondack Thunder on Friday the 14th with the rematch at the Arena on Saturday night. Take care, thanks for reading.
