More Carolina athletes will be representing their country in 2021, this time at the Junior Pan American Field Hockey Championship in Chile.

Senior forward Erin Matson, junior back Madison Orobono and junior midfielder Paityn Wirth will don the stars and stripes at the competition between August 21st and 28th in Santiago.

“I congratulate Erin, Maddi, and Paityn for making the U.S. team and I’m so pleased for them to have this opportunity to represent their country,” said UNC coach Karen Shelton in a release from Carolina Athletics.

While the Carolina trio is abroad, Shelton and the Tar Heels will have to open the season without them. UNC’s first two games are part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Iowa City. August 27th sees Carolina face Michigan in a rematch of last spring’s national championship game. Matson scored the winning goal for UNC in the overtime victory. The Tar Heels will then take on Iowa on the 29th.

Shelton described the situation as “a win-win.” “We’ll miss them while they’re in Chile, but we know they’ll grow from the experience,” she said. “And in the meantime, others will have the chance to gain more experience by stepping in.”

The American team will open play in Pool B of the tournament against Trinidad and Tobago on the 21st before facing Chile the next day.

Matson, Orobono and Wirth will aim for a top-three spot in the Pan American Championship, which would qualify them for the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup, scheduled for December in South Africa.

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