Erin Matson (born March 17, 2000) is an American former

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

player and the current head coach of the

North Carolina Tar Heels field hockey The North Carolina Tar Heels field hockey team represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I field hockey. History Field hockey has been played at the University of North Carolin ...

team. A standout player on that team from 2018 to 2022, she led the Tar Heels to win four

NCAA Championships The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

. Matson is one of only two players to be selected in the U.S. Women's National Team at age 16; the first was Katie Bam, selected in 2005.

Early life

Matson grew up in

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania Chadds Ford is a census-designated place (CDP) in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester counties, Pennsylvania, United States, comprising the unincorporated area, unincorporated communities of Chadds F ...

, and started playing

in 2006. Her mother, Jill, played field hockey and softball at

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

, and her father, Brian, played baseball at

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

. Matson played as a midfielder and graduated from Unionville High School in 2018. In high school, she committed to play collegiate field hockey at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, under legendary head coach

Karen Shelton Karen Christina Shelton (born November 14, 1957 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American former field hockey player and coach. Shelton served as head coach of the University of North Carolina's field hockey program from 1981 until her retirement in 2 ...

College career

In the fall of 2018, Matson made her debut in Chapel Hill, and over the course of her time there, became one of the most decorated athletes in

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

history, with career achievements rivaling those of

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

Mia Hamm Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra (; born March 17, 1972) is an American retired professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the U ...

, and

Tyler Hansbrough Andrew Tyler Hansbrough (born November 3, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He has played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for seven seasons, as well ...

. While at North Carolina, she won the

Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in th ...

three times, being recognized as the nation's top collegiate field hockey player in 2019, 2020, and 2022. She won four

as a player (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022), and five ACC titles in her five seasons in Chapel Hill. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the NCAA granted all student-athletes an extra year of eligibility, which Matson used to return to Carolina for a fifth playing season in 2022. Matson was recognized as the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year every season she played at Carolina.

Coaching career

Following Karen Shelton's retirement in December 2022, and just a month after her own graduation from UNC, Matson was named the Tar Heels' head coach on January 31, 2023. In a move that paralleled Shelton's own hiring 42 years prior (Shelton was 23 when she became head coach) Matson became the Tar Heels' head coach at the age of 22. Matson inherits a defending national championship team made up of many of her former teammates.

Career highlights

Matson was part of the United States team at the 2016–17 Hockey World League Semifinals in

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

. In the final, Matson scored the winning

goal A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...

in a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Matson has represented the US in four other international competitions in her career, the first being the 2014 Youth Indoor Pan American Games. * World Championship Experience ** 2019 FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier (Bhubaneswar, India) ** Gold - 2017 World League Semifinals (Johannesburg, South Africa) ** Silver - 2016 Junior Pan American Games (Trinidad & Tobago) ** Bronze - 2019 Pan American Games (Lima, Peru) ** Bronze - 2017 Pan American Cup (Lancaster, Pa.) ** Bronze - 2014 Indoor Pan American Games (Montevideo, Uruguay) ** 7th - 2017 World League Final (Auckland, New Zealand) ** 8th - 2016 Women's Hockey Junior World Cup (Santiago, Chile) ** 9th - 2019 FIH Pro League (worldwide) ** 14th - 2018 Vitality Hockey Women's World Cup (London, England) * Other Career Highlights ** 2021: At UNC, named All-ACC Preseason Team, ACC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 7), NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 8) ** 2021: Named to the U.S. Women's National Team (June) ** 2021: Named to the U.S. U22 Junior Pan American Championship Training Squad ** 2021 Spring: At UNC, ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week (March 16), ACC Offensive Player of the Week (April 13, April 20), Ranked 10th in Female Athletes in ACC History, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-ACC, All-NCAA Tournament Team, All-NCC Tournament Most Valuable Player, NCAA Division I National Champion, Honda Sports Award Winner, All-South Region First Team, NFHCA South Regional Player of the Year, All-ACC Field Hockey Academic Team, NFHCA Division I First-Team All-American, NFHCA Division I National Player of the Year ** 2020: At UNC, Preseason All-ACC Team, ACC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 20, Nov. 3), All-ACC Tournament Team, ACC Tournament MVP, NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 4, Nov. 11) ** 2019: Named to 2019 Pan American Elite Team ** 2019: At UNC, Preseason All-ACC Team, First-Team All-ACC, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, ACC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 3, Sept. 10, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Oct. 15), NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 4, Sept. 11, Oct. 2), NCAA Division I National Champion, All-NCAA Tournament Team, All-NCAA Tournament Outstanding Player, All-South Region First Team, First Point USA/NFHCA South Region Player of the Year, Longstreth/NFHCA Division I First-Team All-American, First Point USA/NFHCA Division I National Player of the Year, Honda Sport Award Winner, All-ACC Field Hockey Academic Team, 2019-20 Mary Garber Award as the Atlantic Coast Conference Female Athlete of the Year ** 2018: At UNC, Preseason All-ACC Team, First-Team All-ACC, ACC Rookie of the Year, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, ACC Champion, ACC All-Tournament Team, NCAA Division I National Champion, All-South Region First Team, First-Team All-America ** 2018: Series against The Netherlands (Palo Alto, Calif.), Series against Canada (Chula Vista, Calif.), Series against Chile (Lancaster, Pa.), Series against Argentina (Tucuman, Argentina), Series against Belgium (Lancaster, Pa.) ** 2017: Named to the U.S. Women's National, The Hawke's Bay Cup (4th, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand), Recorded first cap on March 31 against Australia, Series against Ireland (Lancaster, Pa.) ** 2016: Named to the U.S. U-21 Women's National Team ** 2015: Named to the U.S. U-19 Women's National Team, Belgium Tour ** 2014: Indoor Series against Canada ** 2013: Series against Canada ** 2013-14: Member of the U.S. Women's National Indoor Team (Germany, Canada and Argentina Tours)

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matson, Erin American female field hockey players Living people People from Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Delaware County, Pennsylvania 2000 births North Carolina Tar Heels field hockey players Female field hockey midfielders Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in field hockey Field hockey players at the 2019 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games