Epiphany Vera, who volunteers his time as a coach for the Harvard Soccer Club, has been named 2019 Massachusetts Youth Soccer boys recreational coach of the year. Vera was nominated for this honor by soccer club President Andrew Thomas, who cited several examples when Coach E, as he is known to his players, went above and beyond a coach’s customary responsibilities. Vera was chosen for this statewide award from a pool of thousands of coaches submitted by highly competitive towns with soccer programs. The soccer league is honoring Vera for his “commitment and dedication to young people in Harvard and [for his] tireless efforts in bringing the game to young people in a safe and nurturing environment.” The Appreciation Night dinner and awards presentation will be held in January 2020.
When asked by the Press for a special memory, Coach E recalled the Harvard grade 9 and 10 team from the 2019 spring session (see photo). “This team was quite young for its age group, as there were no 10th-graders, eight 9th-graders, nine 8th-graders, and two 7th-graders. Despite the team’s young age, it qualified to play for a state championship in the Boys Under 16 Division 2. The team was unbeaten in the group stage of the competition, with wins against Cape Ann, Springfield, and a tie against Worcester. A loss against North Andover in the quarterfinals ended the team’s title run.”
Front row from left: Jack Babcock, William Thomas, Kyle Tracey, Cameron Avola, Theo Bradley, Ryan Donahoe, Tim Khu, Isaac Mitchell, Liam Morrison. Back row: Coach Epiphany Vera, Tafara Vera, Samuel Secor, Logan Smith, Christian Lancellotti, Amlyl AitDowd, Owen Fitzsimmons, Geraghty Vellante, Jayden Liu, Ryan McNulty, Alex Myles, and Coach Camila Passos. (Courtesy photo)
