An NCAA head coach by age 23? UNC field hockey legend Erin Matson explains how, and why

At UNC, Erin Matson was a legendary field hockey player.

Three times Matson — our “Sports Legends of the Carolinas” star this week — was the national player of the year. Four times she was a national champion, establishing a Carolina blue dynasty in the sport. Five times — like many college athletes, she received an extra year of athletic eligibility due to COVID — she was an ACC standout.

So Matson was a remarkable college player. But her story became even more remarkable when she graduated from UNC in December and then was named the Tar Heels’ head field hockey coach in January. Not an assistant coach. The head coach, of the very team she had just finished playing for only weeks before.

Matson was 22 at the time. She succeeded Karen Shelton, who won a record 10 NCAA titles coaching UNC field hockey and then retired.

Now 23, Matson will coach her first real game for the Tar Heels against Michigan Friday night in Chapel Hill, the start of an attempt to win a national championship in her first coaching season.

Think of it like this: What if Mia Hamm had finished her college career at UNC and then had immediately started coaching the women’s soccer team? That’s what has happened here, just in a different sport.

This interview is edited for clarity and brevity. For a much fuller version, check out the “Sports Legends of the Carolinas” podcast.

Scott Fowler: So let’s start with the obvious question — your age. You are coaching players that, up until a few months ago, were your teammates. How do you navigate that?

Erin Matson: I try to describe it and I feel like people think I’m lying when I’m like, “It’s going great.” They’re like, “No, where’s the drama?” (But) we’re pretty drama-free here.

I think from the start, I’ve always been someone as a teammate as a captain and now as a coach where I’m super-transparent and just upfront and honest. They know what to expect the minute they step on the field or walk in the door. And the first meeting we had together, it was the same thing: “We need to over-communicate. I promise to be transparent with you guys. I need that in return.” They bought in entirely.

SF: And people don’t really believe that?

EM: (Laughs) People are like: “Someone’s got to be disrespectful. Someone’s got to not like it. Someone’s gotta be causing issues.” It’s like no, honestly. They want to win, I want to win. They care about me. I care about them.

It hasn’t been rainbows and butterflies…. But it’s a totally accepting, supportive atmosphere.

SF: Do they call you “Erin” or “Coach”?

EM: That was the first question that I was asked (by a player). They call me Erin. I am all about making this as natural as possible. I say to them all the time: “It’s different. It’s unique. Let’s not make it weird.” And it would be very weird if my former roommate was calling me “Coach.”

SF: Were you applying for the job while you were playing, or just afterward?

EM: Just afterward. If you had asked me 2-3 years ago, I never would have thought the stars would have aligned like this. And then they did…. My winter break was definitely not a typical winter break as a college graduate (Matson graduated in December 2022) because I was submitting the application, writing cover letters and going through rounds and rounds and rounds of interviews.

SF: You’re a very out-of-the-box hire. Did you think when you heard Coach Shelton was retiring: “This is perfect? I’ve got a great shot at this”? Or did you think it was far-fetched?

EM: A little bit of both. I knew I deserved it and I just had to prove that. I knew it was out of the box. I guess it speaks to how much I love this place. I know the game. I can relate to these players. I’ve been fortunate to build relationships with alums.

The current student body loves us because of what the entire program was able to generate over the years. And then the younger kids look up to all of us.

SF: Tell me about how you grew up.

EM: I was born in Delaware. I grew up in Pennsylvania. I grew up in a sports family.

My dad played baseball in college at Delaware. My mom played field hockey for two years at Yale and softball for all four. My brother played competitive baseball growing up his entire life, and now he’s at Harvard playing baseball there. So we just loved sports.

I played basketball (a little), and then I played softball up until fifth grade, and that’s when I solely decided to focus on field hockey. I remember having a conversation with my dad when I was nine years old, saying that I want to play in the Olympics someday.

SF: Is Pennsylvania a field hockey hotbed?

EM: Definitely. It’s a Northeast sport. We’ve seen it kind of sprinkled down here with the success we’ve had — clubs and schools, there’s really growing engagement down here in the North Carolina area…. But it’s mainly an East Coast sport and definitely heavy in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.

SF: How do you explain field hockey as a sport to a random person who’s never seen it?

EM: I say it’s like a mix of lacrosse and soccer. It’s definitely more similar to lacrosse… On an international scale, Holland dominates. Argentina, Germany and England are all good.

Once people actually understand what’s going on, they fall in love with it because it’s fast-paced. It’s exciting. There’s lots of scoring. There’s no standing around. It’s constant movement.

SF: What do you think your coaching persona is going to be when the actual games start?

EM: I’m super passionate…. I’m competitive. I’m obviously vocal about everything. I really take time to understand each player and how they best respond to situations.

I know exactly who I can yell at and be intense with and pretty cutthroat, and I know who I need to be a little bit more positive and encouraging and, you know, grabbing their hand and pulling them rather than shoving them and saying “Go get it.”

I’m definitely not one to sit there looking like this with my legs crossed the bench and totally chill, if you know what I mean.

SF: You’re going to be standing up?

EM: (Laughs) I’m a squatter. My staff laughs at me… The coaching squat — apparently I’ve assumed that role.

SF: You’re public on social media about your long-distance boyfriend, a baseball player. Where is he?

EM: Yes, he’s in minor league baseball, with the (Los Angeles) Dodgers organization. His name is Ben Casparius. He just got promoted to Double A a (few) weeks ago. So he’s in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We met here and then he transferred to UConn after my freshman year. And that’s actually when we started dating.

So we’ve been long-distance and supporting each other like this for years. And he’s wonderful. He’s so supportive…. We put effort and energy into making it work. He’s great.

SF: What game haunts you most from your playing career?

EM: I would have to say the Northwestern game in Iowa, the year we didn’t win the national championship (a 2-0 UNC loss in the 2021 NCAA tournament).

They knocked us out in the first round. It was just one of those games nothing was clicking. We kind of got shafted with location and where we were and everything. But at the end of the day, who cares? Put that aside, show up and play and execute, and we didn’t. So it was just awful. And luckily we only had to experience that feeling once out of five years (UNC won the national title in Matson’s other four seasons). But it still haunts me.

I still replay the plays where I should have scored. I still remember them vividly — probably more vividly than any of the wins that are just blurred, because of happiness.

Q: Your favorite Tar Heel athlete of all time outside of field hockey is?

A: Mia Hamm is the obvious answer. I’ve looked up to her forever. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet her and she is just a force. You can tell she bleeds Carolina blue and loves this place, too.

SF: What’s one thing you’re not good at as a coach?

EM: I can’t blow a whistle. My staff members, of course, they’ll ref scrimmages or drills or whatever, and they can all do it. A coach should be able to use a whistle, right? I need some practice. So I’ve promised them I’d learn how to do it. But my voice carries.

SF: What’s recruiting like for you? Do you bond pretty immediately with the player but have to work on the parents more?

EM: It’s funny. The kids, the players, are right off the bat (connected). The parents, I’ve gotta be transparent and say: “Hey, I’m not gonna know the answer to every question. I’m saying that upfront. I’m being honest with you, but I can promise you that I will work harder than any coach across this country to find you the answer, and that you have better resources here for me to lean on and I’ll be leaning on them.”

The elephant in the room — I talk about it. I get it. I’m 23. But (I tell them) you don’t necessarily have to worry about it because of XY and Z. But the conversations with the kids? I connect with them right off the bat. They’ve looked up to me for years… They know I’m not messing around.

SF: There’s certainly a young vibe in the field hockey offices. When I walked into the field your facility today, Taylor Swift was playing on the loudspeakers. I’ll point out she’s a decade older than you are.

EM: I didn’t know that!

SF: Yes, Taylor Swift is 33.

EM: I honestly am not a Swiftie. There’s so much hype around her and I think she’s brilliant. I went to a concert of hers like when I was young…. But (recently) I decided just to listen to her latest album and see what the hype is about. I was like… this is really good! So I just had it on repeat. Honestly this the first time she’s been on the speaker since I was hired.

SF: What do you listen to?

EM: I love music. The girls know it and there’s always music playing in here. It depends whether I’m in the country mood and you know need some Luke Combs on it, or if it’s time for Lil Baby and Lil Wayne.

It also depends on who’s in the building, what lyrics I can play. I have a playlist literally for everything.

SF: What are your long-term goals?

EM: I think the obvious one is a national championship. That’s our goal every year. We say our program had a good year if we make it to the Final Four, right? But not great. It’s not what we want…. But, I mean, I hope I can catch Karen (Shelton, UNC’s legendary former head coach) one day with the 10 (national titles). Who knows? I know she would love it.

In terms of more broad stuff, I’m going to show up and be the best that I can for (the players), because that’s what they deserve. And it was a similar mindset throughout my career. I didn’t walk into college saying I want to win the “National Player of the Year” award three times. It’s just a byproduct. You just keep your head down. You do what you’re supposed to, and you do it as best you can.

For much more from this interview as well as other “Sports Legends” guests like Steph Curry, Roy Williams, Jeff Gordon, Mike Krzyzewski and Dawn Staley, check out the “Sports Legends of the Carolinas” podcast. The “Sports Legends of the Carolinas” coffee table book debuts in November 2023 and is now available to pre-order — at a 20% discount — at SportsLegendsBook.com.