Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.
Erin Matson may be following Karen Shelton in yet another way.
Matson is the most decorated player in Carolina field hockey history, leading UNC to four national championships and five ACC titles after having taken an extra “COVID year” to complete her unparalleled career on the field.
A slam-dunk Hall of Famer, Matson may be on her way to earning the same platitudes as a coach after having led the Tar Heels to the ACC championship and No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with a star-studded team in her first season on the sideline.
Frankly, there are no words left to describe what this Tar Heel gem has accomplished and continues to do so as a 23-year-old head coach of the program that has now won seven consecutive ACC championships.
Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham made the historic hire that defies a coaching tenet of never taking over a program that still has former teammates on the roster. Cunningham considered that before the brilliant student-athlete convinced him that she was the perfect fit for the position.
Another factor for Cunningham was that after applying to succeed Hall of Famer Karen Shelton, Matson would have certainly been approached by other schools like so many that have plucked former Tar Heels to lead their teams.
“This dream has come true,” she said after being named last January 23.
It may not have been a long-time dream for Matson, who still had an international playing career and possibly the 2024 Olympics in her future. After Shelton became UNC’s head coach 44 years ago, she continued to play in the off-season. But due to the juggernaut she built at Carolina, coaching field hockey has become a year-round gig. So we’ll have to see about Matson.
After winning her sixth ACC championship as a player and coach, Matson leads her Tar Heels into the NCAA tournament Friday against William & Mary at noon as the No. 1 seed with the program’s 40th appearance at Karen Shelton Stadium before another record crowd at KSS.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to keep playing and to do so at home,” Matson said after finishing the regular season with a 14-3 record.
UNC will also host the NCAA semifinals and national championship game, so just imagine what it would be like if Matson completed her first season by hoisting the trophy that she won as a player four times.
When she eventually is inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame as a player, there just may be another such ceremony in her future. Shelton went in as both a player (1989) and a coach (2008).
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines