UNC field hockey’s Erin Matson goes from MVP to youngest college head coach to win NCAA title within one year
Head coach Erin Matson (middle) flanked by Goaltender Maddie Kahn & forward Ryleigh Heck during the press conference following UNC’s 11th NCAA title.
LAUSANNE, November 21, 2023 – Only last season, Erin Matson scored a late game winner to help University of North Carolina (UNC) field hockey secure its fourth national title in five years and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Exactly a year later, on November 19 2023, the 23-year-old became the youngest college head coach to win a national championships, according to the NCAA.com, after leading the Tar Heels to their 11th NCAA Division 1 title – fifth in six years.
DOUBLE-OVERTIME PENALTY In Sunday’s final against Northwestern Wildcats of Northwestern University, Matson’s side needed a double-overtime penalty shootout to win 2-1 on their home turf, the Karen Shelton Stadium, making her the first Tar Heel to win national titles as both a player and head coach. It’s only Matson’s first year at the helm and she could not have hoped for a more perfect start to this new chapter of her field hockey career, in front of a record 3,200 spectators - the largest in programme history.
“I don’t know how to put it into words,” Matson, who was lifted into the air by her team after winning the national title, said. “I don’t know what more you’d want in a national championship matchup than tied at the end of regulation, two overtimes, sudden death shootout, just a phenomenal atmosphere.”
Erin Matson of United States competes for the ball with Carolina Garcia of Chile during Hockey Women bronze medal on Day 14 of Lima 2019 Pan American Games at Hockey Field of Complejo Deportivo Villa Maria del Triunfo on August 9, 2019 in Lima, Peru. (Photo by Daniel Apuy/Getty Images)
PHENOMINAL PLAYING CAREER Following an incredible career with Unionville High School, Matson continued to succeed in college, winning four national championships and five Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) titles. She was also a five-time conference player and was nation’s best female collegiate field hockey player in 2019, 2020, and 2022 . She also featured regularly for the US national field hockey team as a teenager.
CONTINUING A WINNING LEGACY Matson’s predecessor, Olympic field hockey player Karen Shelton, left big shoes to fill when she stepped down in December 2022, following an undefeated season. Between 1981, when she took over as head coach at 23 years old, and 2022, she built the UNC field hockey programme into one of the best in the USA, leading UNC to a record 10 NCAA Championships, 25 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships and 40 winning seasons. The winningest field hockey coach in NCAA Division I history would definitely be proud that one of her best players has picked up where she left off on the sidelines. “She’s got it all,” Karen Shelton told The Daily Tar Heel after the championship win. “She's really smart, articulate, mature and charismatic. She's smart. She knows the game inside and out. She's relatable. I knew it as the coach – you can tell when you have somebody that’s special.”
OUTSTANDING LEADER A native of Chadds Ford in Pennsylvania, Matson was announced as the new head coach a month and a half after her graduation ceremony in January 2023 at 22 years old.
“Erin is an outstanding leader who has a deep and thorough knowledge of the game,” Tar Heels athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a release. “She knows how to inspire, listen, teach and win – all qualities that will translate well to the sidelines and make her a terrific head coach. We all look forward to supporting her as she transitions and leads in this new role.”
Matson said in the release: “To say I’m excited and honoured to be the head coach of the UNC field hockey programme is an understatement – this is a dream come true.”
LEARNING Although her transition came with an early setback, when Tar Heels lost their second game of the season 3-2 in overtime to Iowa – the team’s first loss since 2021, winning two titles in her rookie campaign speaks volumes of her potential. On November 3, Matson led the Tar Heels to their seventh consecutive ACC title, becoming the first coach in ACC field hockey history to win a conference title in her first season. Overall she secured 18 victories out of 21 games in her first season as head coach.
“I’ve had to grow up — I guess you could say even faster,” she said. “But it’s not the first time. It’s not the first time that I’ve had to prove to myself that I can do that and take it on,” Matson said after Sunday’s win, adding “Obviously, as you guys know, I’m very much learning this whole coaching thing.”
Prior to picking up field hockey at the age of six and becoming phenomenal at it, Matson played softball and basketball. Sports runs in her family. Her mother played softball and hockey at Yale University, her father played baseball at Delaware while her younger brother plays baseball at Havard.
DOUBLE-OVERTIME PENALTY In Sunday’s final against Northwestern Wildcats of Northwestern University, Matson’s side needed a double-overtime penalty shootout to win 2-1 on their home turf, the Karen Shelton Stadium, making her the first Tar Heel to win national titles as both a player and head coach. It’s only Matson’s first year at the helm and she could not have hoped for a more perfect start to this new chapter of her field hockey career, in front of a record 3,200 spectators - the largest in programme history.
“I don’t know how to put it into words,” Matson, who was lifted into the air by her team after winning the national title, said. “I don’t know what more you’d want in a national championship matchup than tied at the end of regulation, two overtimes, sudden death shootout, just a phenomenal atmosphere.”
PHENOMINAL PLAYING CAREER Following an incredible career with Unionville High School, Matson continued to succeed in college, winning four national championships and five Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) titles. She was also a five-time conference player and was nation’s best female collegiate field hockey player in 2019, 2020, and 2022 . She also featured regularly for the US national field hockey team as a teenager.
CONTINUING A WINNING LEGACY Matson’s predecessor, Olympic field hockey player Karen Shelton, left big shoes to fill when she stepped down in December 2022, following an undefeated season. Between 1981, when she took over as head coach at 23 years old, and 2022, she built the UNC field hockey programme into one of the best in the USA, leading UNC to a record 10 NCAA Championships, 25 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships and 40 winning seasons. The winningest field hockey coach in NCAA Division I history would definitely be proud that one of her best players has picked up where she left off on the sidelines. “She’s got it all,” Karen Shelton told The Daily Tar Heel after the championship win. “She's really smart, articulate, mature and charismatic. She's smart. She knows the game inside and out. She's relatable. I knew it as the coach – you can tell when you have somebody that’s special.”
OUTSTANDING LEADER A native of Chadds Ford in Pennsylvania, Matson was announced as the new head coach a month and a half after her graduation ceremony in January 2023 at 22 years old.
“Erin is an outstanding leader who has a deep and thorough knowledge of the game,” Tar Heels athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a release. “She knows how to inspire, listen, teach and win – all qualities that will translate well to the sidelines and make her a terrific head coach. We all look forward to supporting her as she transitions and leads in this new role.”
Matson said in the release: “To say I’m excited and honoured to be the head coach of the UNC field hockey programme is an understatement – this is a dream come true.”
LEARNING Although her transition came with an early setback, when Tar Heels lost their second game of the season 3-2 in overtime to Iowa – the team’s first loss since 2021, winning two titles in her rookie campaign speaks volumes of her potential. On November 3, Matson led the Tar Heels to their seventh consecutive ACC title, becoming the first coach in ACC field hockey history to win a conference title in her first season. Overall she secured 18 victories out of 21 games in her first season as head coach.
“I’ve had to grow up — I guess you could say even faster,” she said. “But it’s not the first time. It’s not the first time that I’ve had to prove to myself that I can do that and take it on,” Matson said after Sunday’s win, adding “Obviously, as you guys know, I’m very much learning this whole coaching thing.”
Prior to picking up field hockey at the age of six and becoming phenomenal at it, Matson played softball and basketball. Sports runs in her family. Her mother played softball and hockey at Yale University, her father played baseball at Delaware while her younger brother plays baseball at Havard.
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