Meet UNC field hockey player, Unionville alum Erin Matson
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Erin Matson is to field hockey what Michael Jordan is to basketball, or Serena Williams is to tennis: The G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time). And while that title is certainly befitting, she now has a new one: Head Coach.
Erin Matson has been dominating field hockey since she was a kid. She was only 13 when she made the U.S. indoor team and 16 when she was named to the U.S. National Team (one of only two players that young to earn the distinction). After graduating from Unionville High School in 2018, Erin was recruited to play at the University of North Carolina (UNC), where she led her team to four NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) championships and five ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) titles. On January 31, just one month after graduating from UNC, Erin was selected as the new UNC Field Hockey Head Coach 鈥� the youngest in history.
To list all of Erin鈥檚 collegiate accolades would fill the page, but to summarize her most notable: Erin is the most decorated player in UNC field hockey history, the ACC鈥檚 all-time leader in goals and points, a five-time ACC Offensive Player of the Year, a three-time Honda Sport Award (top female athlete) winner, and the 2022 NCAA Tournament MVP.
As the newest UNC field hockey head coach (and only the fifth in Carolina history), Erin has big shoes to fill. She is replacing her mentor, Karen Shelton, who retired in December as college field hockey鈥檚 winningest coach after 42 seasons at UNC. But those who know Erin say she has the acumen, confidence, and maturity to handle the job.
鈥淥nce you meet [Erin], you understand,鈥� her mother, Jill, has been quoted as saying.
More importantly, Erin knows she鈥檚 ready to take on this new role. 鈥淚 know I鈥檓 the best person for this role,鈥� she has said in the press. 鈥淚 know the ins and outs of the program. I have experience, and I know how to coach to win. My expectations and standards are the same as they have been for the past five years at UNC.鈥�
While the Matsons may be the biggest Tar Heel fans in our area, I think it鈥檚 safe to say that Unionville鈥檚 unofficial new school color is Carolina blue.
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