University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Vera Named UNC Asheville Women’s Soccer Head Coach
05.21.2018 | Women's Soccer
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville Department of Athletics announced on Tuesday, May 22, that Lindsay Vera has been named the fourth women's soccer head coach in program history.
"We are excited to have Lindsay join our team," UNC Asheville Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone said. "Having helped start the program at UTRGV, Lindsay knows what it takes to build a program from the ground up, and we know that her coaching and strong playing experience will allow her to be successful with the Bulldogs. We cannot wait to introduce Lindsay to Bulldogs everywhere."
Vera joins the Bulldog family from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where she was an assistant coach under head coach Glad Bugariu. During her four-year stint at UTRGV, Vera was the assistant coach and camp director for the women's club.
While at UTRGV, she saw the squad go 32-37-11, which included back-to-back winning seasons in 2016 and 2017. In the program's third year of existence, UTRGV posted its first-ever winning season at 10-8-1.
"I am so excited for the opportunity to lead the UNC Asheville women's soccer program," Vera said. "Asheville is a perfect fit for me, both personally and professionally, and I am ready to get there and push the Bulldogs forward. I want to thank Janet R. Cone and Terri Brne for all they have done for me thus far.
"Furthermore, I could not make such a step in my career if it weren't for Glad Bugariu, the coaching staff and all of our players at UTRGV. I'd also like to thank Chris King, Farrah Manthei and Lance Morgan for their continued support during my time in the Valley."
Prior to her arrival to UTRGV, Vera served as volunteer assistant coach at NC State from 2011-12. Her responsibilities included assisting in training plans, participating in training sessions, completing NCAA practice logs, reviewing game footage and handling team social media accounts.
Vera also worked for the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) in Raleigh, N.C., where she worked as a coach and Director of Marketing from 2009-13. She coached teams between the ages of 9-16, trained players individually and served as a camp coordinator and coach. On the marketing side, Vera planned and organized special events, created and maintained sponsorships, implemented fundraising events, organized the club's website and social media pages, generated presentations and marketing materials for CASL programs and events and hired and managed interns.
The Boston Breakers selected Vera in the seventh round (43rd overall) of the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) League Draft, which was the highest level of women's professional soccer in North America. There, she trained and competed with U.S. Women's National team players such as Kristine Lilly, Shannon Boxx and Amy LePeilbet.
As a player, Vera finished her NC State playing career with 27 goals and 67 career points. Her goal output was tied for 10th in program history. She was the Wolfpack's leading scorer in three of her four seasons. A two-time team captain, Vera earned All-ACC second-team honors during each of her final three seasons after being named to the All-ACC Freshman Team in 2005. She was an NSCAA All-Region selection in 2006 and the NC State Team MVP in 2007.
