Erin Mattson Named New Head Coach of UNC Field Hockey

thumbnail sourced from Raleigh News & Observer

Erin Matson ‘18, dubbed the “Michael Jordan” of field hockey, has been selected as the new Head Coach for the UNC Field Hockey program.

At a very young age, Matson became a field hockey prodigy. After showing off her natural skills on her first field hockey team, she joined the club team for WC Eagles. This program is a known producer of high level field hockey talent in the United States. Within this club, Erin Matson was able to further her skills exponentially and at just 13 years old she made the U.S. indoor field hockey team. On this team, Matson started playing internationally with and against women who had 10+ years of experience on her. She was named to the U.S. National Team at 16 years old and is only one of two players that young to represent the United States.

Erin Matson entered her collegiate career as the most decorated player in team history. Player highlights from her time in the Division I UNC Field Hockey program include:

• Four NCAA Championships

• Five ACC Championships

• 3x Honda Sport Award for Field Hockey (second player ever to win 3x)

• Named one of the Top 10 Female Athletes in conference history by ACC Network

• 5x ACC Offensive Player of the Year (only athlete in any sport to win this award 5x)

Matson retired her jersey after graduating in December 2022. She was hired as the new UNC Field Hockey Head Coach shortly after in January 2023. At 22 years old, she is the youngest head coach in Division I athletics history. Despite her young age, Matson’s extensive field hockey experience and knowledge of the UNC brand made her the top candidate for Head Coach. Congratulations Erin!