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Aspen soccer tops Roaring Fork in overtime

Jeff CaspersenGlenwood Springs correspondentAspen CO, Colorado

CARBONDALE Jesus Meza spun off a defender and then put enough juice on a 15-yard roller to direct the soccer ball just inside the right post, past the reaching hands of goalkeeper Luis Medina.And, just like that, Aspen gained the new life it needed to sneak away from Carbondale with a 3-2 win over host Roaring Fork.Mezas shot, which came with little more than five minutes left in regulation, squared up a game the Skiers had trailed since the Rams Arick Zeigel nailed a penalty kick just before halftime.Within three minutes of the sudden-death extra frame, Bo Welden put Aspen over the top, pouncing on a dump-off by teammate Murphy Frywald and drilling a shot past a diving Medina.Its a great feeling, Meza said. I was thinking about passing. I thought Id take the shot and see what happens. Thank God I did.It was a great shot, right down the middle, Skiers coach Junior Sutherland said. It was a hell of a strike, a great way to win any game.As Aspen celebrated, Roaring Fork lamented a squandered opportunity.Its a little bit of a heartbreaker, John Ackerman said. Its tough when it goes against you in overtime. Its deflating, but these guys never let up.In fact, Ackermans Rams were in control a good chunk of the way, the defense turning away Skier runs with regularity and the offense producing numerous scoring chances.After Aspens Christian DeLaCruz opened the scoring by taking a soaring pass from midfield in for a breakaway goal, Roaring Forks Wylie Adams opportunistically found a seam in the Skiers defense with a 25-yard strike.Both goals happened in a four-minute span midway through first half.The score stood at one-all until Zeigel teed off on his penalty kick in the 37th minute.Perhaps the highlight of the afternoon came in the form of a play that didnt even count.Not long after the Skiers and Rams traded their first goals, DeLaCruz acrobatically converted a mid-range bicycle kick on a long pass from near midfield, drawing oohs and ahs from the tiny Carbondale crowd. The goal didnt hold up, though, as the whistle sounded for an offside call just as the bulleted ball struck the back of the net.Roaring Fork dropped to 0-1-1 with the defeat, while Aspen improved to 1-0-0 with the season-opening win.It was a great game, Sutherland said. Roaring Fork battled well. Im sure both teams will get better as the season goes on. Next time, Im sure itll be a different game.