Aspen girls lacrosse rallies to beat Roaring Fork as new coach makes home debut
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Getting steamrolled by your rival is no way to make a first impression. Rallying from a five-goal deficit to win and keep an undefeated start to the season on track will make you a few friends, however.
Kaely Wolf, Aspen High School’s first-year girls lacrosse head coach, certainly had a memorable debut on Wednesday night when the Skiers came from behind for an 8-7 win over Roaring Fork on the snowy AHS turf.
“I was just as nervous as the girls were,” she said. “For a little bit there I wasn’t sure if they were going to pull it off, but they did at the end, so it was really exciting.”
Wolf, who is relatively new to the Roaring Fork Valley, was named the team’s head coach back in November. Originally from Potomac, Maryland, she comes to AHS from Utah, where she was a captain at Westminster College before a seven-year run as the head coach at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City. After taking a couple of years off, she returned to coaching this spring with the Skiers.
On Wolf’s staff is a familiar name in assistant coach Amanda Trendell. The team’s head coach from 2018 through the 2022 season, Trendell guided the AHS program to new heights. In her four seasons — the 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic — she tallied an overall record of 50-11, including a perfect mark of 37-0 in regular-season league games, per the MaxPreps archives.
Trendell stepped aside last season with Rylee Skachenko leading AHS to a 10-6 record, going 7-3 in league play, in her only season as head coach. But Trendell, who played Division I lacrosse at Rutgers, wanted to return as an assistant this spring, and Wolf was more than happy to accommodate her.
“We are very thankful to have Amanda back,” Wolf said. “She brings mass amounts of knowledge of the game, and she is great. … We’ve become fast friends. I love coaching with Amanda and I’m so happy she’s here.”
Aspen’s 2024 season began over the weekend with neutral site wins over Telluride (17-5) and Durango (9-8) before the home opener against the Rams on Wednesday. As it happened, the last time AHS played a home game prior to Wednesday was when No. 10 seed Roaring Fork knocked off No. 7 Aspen in the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs, winning 8-7, of all scores.
Led by first-year head coach Drew Kitchell, the Rams were making easy work of the Skiers in the rematch on Wednesday, despite the winter weather. Tied 2-2 after a quarter, Roaring Fork built a 7-2 lead late into the third quarter before an AHS goal sparked an impressive Skier rally.
Aspen continued to chip away at the deficit, led by the offensive attack of Katy Clettenberg. The senior scored the game-winner with just under two minutes to play in regulation, helping the Skiers avenge their playoff loss and give Wolf a win in her home debut.
Wolf said the comeback had nothing to do with X’s and O’s, but a change in attitude in the second half.
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Aspen High School senior Madelyn Haerter, right, and sophomore Mia Mottier walk off the turf with their teammates in celebration moments after the AHS girls lacrosse team rallied back for an 8-7 win over rival Roaring Fork on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at Aspen Stadium. Playing in the snow in their home opener, the Skiers trailed 7-2 at halftime before mounting the comeback. Senior Katy Clettenberg scored the game-winner with only two minutes to play in regulation.
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First-year Aspen High School girls lacrosse coach Kaely Wolf watches from the sideline in their game against Roaring Fork on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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Aspen High School girls lacrosse player Devon Phillips, right, fights for the ball against Roaring Fork’s Aurora Cherney during their game on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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Aspen High School’s Tessa Osborne controls the ball in the girls lacrosse game against Roaring Fork on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in Aspen.
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Roaring Fork lacrosse’s Marin Weaver, right, defends against Aspen’s Devon Phillips on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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A Roaring Fork High School lacrosse player watches from the sideline against Aspen on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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Aspen High School’s Lindsay Waldeck controls the ball in the girls lacrosse game against Roaring Fork on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in Aspen.
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Roaring Fork lacrosse’s Grace Garcia, center, controls the ball against Aspen on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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Players battle for a loose ball as the Aspen High School girls lacrosse team hosts Roaring Fork on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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Roaring Fork lacrosse’s Hailey Wolfe controls the ball against Aspen on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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With Buttermilk Ski Area as a backdrop, snow falls as the Aspen High School girls lacrosse team hosts Roaring Fork on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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Aspen High School’s Madelyn Haerter listens during a timeout in the girls lacrosse game against Roaring Fork on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in Aspen.
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Roaring Fork High School girls lacrosse coach Drew Kitchell provides instruction against Aspen on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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Roaring Fork lacrosse’s Josie McKinley-Kitchell controls the ball against Aspen on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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Players battle for a loose ball as the Aspen High School girls lacrosse team hosts Roaring Fork on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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Roaring Fork High School lacrosse players Genesis Castillon, right, and Olivia Goodman react after allowing a late goal against Aspen on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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Aspen High School girls lacrosse player Devon Phillips, right, fights for the ball against Roaring Fork’s Aurora Cherney during their game on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
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Aspen High School’s Katy Clettenberg controls the ball in the girls lacrosse game against Roaring Fork on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in Aspen.
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First-year Aspen High School girls lacrosse head coach Kaely Wolf, right, standing next to former head coach-turned-assistant Amanda Trendell, watches from the sideline in their game against Roaring Fork on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, on the AHS turf.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
“It was 20 minutes, maybe, where we didn’t have a goal. At halftime we had a talk with them about having fun and playing like a team and doing it the Aspen way. I think they were able to do that,” she said. “We told the girls going into this season: Attitude is everything.”
Now 3-0 overall, the Skiers are scheduled to play Friday night in Steamboat Springs before returning home to host Battle Mountain on Tuesday.
“Honestly, Coach T and I are incredibly impressed with how they pulled that off,” Wolf said. “It was great to watch.”
The Rams (0-1) are next scheduled to play Monday at Mullen. Roaring Fork finished the 2023 season with a 12-6 record, losing 18-4 to eventual champion Mead in the state quarterfinals.
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