23-Year-Old Erin Matson Leads UNC to Field Hockey National Championship

Matson, in her first year as head coach, guides Tar Heels to their 11th national title and fifth in six years.

Erin Matson, 23, becomes the youngest college head coach to win a national championship, leading the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC) to the field hockey title.
The Tar Heels secured the program’s 11th national championship and its fifth in six years after a double-overtime penalty shootout against the Northwestern Wildcats.
Matson, who won the same competition as a UNC player last year, took up the head coach role this season shortly after graduating, replacing Karen Shelton who retired after 42 years in charge of the program.
Matson was part of three undefeated seasons with the Tar Heels as a player, and has played for the US national team since she was 17.
The championship match, which ended in a 2-1 victory for UNC, was attended by 3,200 people – the biggest crowd in the program’s history.