A word on the best assistant coaching staff ever

I wanted my second post to give you a little background on our awesome assistant coaches - Phil Caldwell, Matt Barnes, Alex Mason, pictured above. (The photo above has an extra - Lindsay Jeans - and since two of my readers might be within the family, I thought it best to give her credit and not airbrush her out of the photo.)

Alex has a true love for this program born out of attending and graduating from both this school and this program. A 2018 EHS grad, Alex had a successful playing career here, including a trip to the 2017 state finals. She went on to a five year playing career at CO Western in Gunnison, twice being captain of the program! She currently has club coaching responsibilities with Mountain Rush and is the clinic aide at EHS as well. She has taken on so many responsibilities of organizing, administering and planning so many aspects important to successfully running a program. She’s optimistic, can-do, and upbeat, and is a constructive communicator who interacts well with our players. She is also becoming a fantastic on-field coach and analyst of the game. And finally, she has the advantage of being young, and able to play. 

Matt is a lifelong resident of the foothills and currently calls Indian Hills his home. A graduate of our rival school, Conifer, Matt takes all the good natured ribbing about this fact with a great smile as you would expect. He has been assistant coaching at EHS since 2017, and brings an obvious love for the game and this program to every practice and match he attends. His rapport with the players is legendary - and a big reason we have seen so much development of goalkeepers and field players alike over the years. The program could not ask for a coach to have more insight and judgment about the game than Matt has. Winner of the jeffco girls 2025 assistant coach of the year award across all sports,  Matt is, as you would expect from someone so positive, undefeated during his lifetime when filling in for me as head Coach, and that includes two playoff games! 

Phil has coached with various clubs in the Denver metro area for 24 + years (!),  currently coaches with Denver Kickers, and has been with the EHS programs since 2015, primarily as the head JV coach, but assisting across the entire program as well. He is the hardest working coach in the state. He spends more time on soccer fields than anyone I know (and I know a bunch that are in the run for that thankless “award”) and is constantly working on improving his coaching and understanding of  the game. A positive person who has built connections with our players over the years, Phil is also a most deserving recipient of the Jeffco girls assistant coach of the year award for all sports for 2022!

Whatever our talents may be, what makes it work is that we have a love of the game, enjoy each other’s company, and friends, and consider ourselves teammates as coaches. We are here to succeed as a team of coaches, with the ultimate aim of helping the players to achieve the best outcomes that they can. I am very thankful for this fun and talented group I get to work with. Please thank them on every occasion you can for the amount of time they spend with your student athletes!  

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