Evan Gaffney, a well-respected goalkeeping mentor who enjoyed an impressive international playing career, was appointed assistant women's soccer coach at East Carolina University on April 8, 2022.

In his second season in 2023, Gaffney helped oversee the Pirates’ first over-.500 record since 2018 with a 9-5-5 finish. The season also saw four players earn All-Conference recognition - including goalkeeper Maeve English - while Jazmin Ferguson became the first ECU player to earn player of the year honors since 2008 as she was named the 2023 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

In 2022 Pirates got off to a torrid start, running out to a 5-2-1 record and earned votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the first time in program history following a win at then-No. 19 SMU. The program earned six votes on Sept. 13 and seven votes on Sept. 20. Battling injuries, the Pirates would go on to an 8-8-3 record. Gaffney helped guide three players to All-Conference honors - including goalkeeper Maeve Engligh - and helped Jazmin Ferguson to the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year award.

Prior to ECU, the Dublin, Ireland native most recently served as men's assistant coach and developmental squad head coach at Coker University where he helped lead the Cobras to the South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship and an overall 12-7-2 mark during the 2021 campaign.

In addition to being ranked as high as fourth nationally during the season, Coker produced four All-SAC and all-region performers. Defensively, the Cobras posted five shutouts and surrendered a paltry 1.46 goals against average.

Following a stellar playing career at Truett McConnell (Ga.) University, Gaffney served a part-time role as keeper coach for the women's program at his alma mater in 2020. He was a four-year starter, a two-time All-Appalachian Athletic Conference selection and two-time team captain while manning the net for the Bears from 2016 to 2019. He helped lead TMU to an AAC Tournament title in 2017, was selected as the defensive player-of-the-year on three occasions and was the newcomer-of-the-year in 2016.

Gaffney earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in sport management from Truett McConnell in December of 2020.

Before moving to the United States, Gaffney served as a junior goalkeeper coach for the Irish Pro Keepers Academy, designing and instructing training sessions for athletes in various Dublin venues beginning in 2014. In all, he coached 10 different male and female keepers - two of which play professionally in Ireland and two others who are starring at U.S. collegiate programs.

Gaffney, as a player, was a member of both the U15 and U16 squads for the Republic of Ireland, participated in the U17 and U18 extended squad training camps and was a part of the 2014 U19 Elite Premier Division winners. Additionally, he earned invites to trials at Manchester United, Brentford and West Bromwich Albion.

In the realm of coaching, he possesses United States Soccer Federation (USSF) 4v4, 9v9, 11v11 and United Soccer Coaches (USC) Goalkeeper Level I and Goalkeeper Level II licenses along with six certifications from the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).