Erin Matson began her second act at Carolina with a flourish on Friday night.

Matson earned the first win of her head coaching career as the top-ranked UNC field hockey team defeated No. 4 Michigan in front of a record crowd of more than 1,700 fans at Karen Shelton Stadium.

All three of Carolina’s goals came in the decisive second quarter, when the Tar Heels turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 halftime lead. Junior Lisa Slinkert accounted for two of the goals, and senior Kiersten Thomassey scored the other. The offensive explosion came after Carolina didn’t post a single shot in the first quarter. Despite that slow start, the Tar Heels still doubled up the Wolverines on shots for the evening, 12-6, and earned nine penalty corners to Michigan’s three.

Michigan’s final penalty corner of the night led to its second goal with 3:51 remaining on the clock, but the visitors weren’t able to get off another shot before time ran out.

The night marked Michigan’s first visit to Karen Shelton Stadium since the national championship game in the spring of 2021. The winning goal that evening was scored by the woman now patrolling the sidelines for Carolina: Matson. The superstar player turned rookie head coach is now a perfect 1-0 in her career, her 1.000 winning percentage shattering that of her predecessor Shelton.

Whether that will stand up over the rest of UNC’s schedule is another question. The Tar Heels will be back for the second game of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in Chapel Hill on Sunday, when they host No. 7 Iowa at 1 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Field Hockey on Twitter

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.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Field Hockey Loses to No. 11 Iowa; Now 0-2 to Start 2026 Season
UNC allowed the tying and go-ahead goals in a span of 3:03 in the third quarter vs. No. 11 Iowa Sunday, and the Hawkeyes held that onto that lead to deal the Tar Heels a 3-2 loss. It’s Carolina’s second consecutive loss to open the 2026 season. The Tar Heels led 2-1 at halftime on […]
UNC Field Hockey Falls in Overtime vs. No. 14 Michigan in 2026 Season Opener
A Michigan goal less than five minutes into sudden-death overtime helped the No. 14 Wolverines upset No. 2 UNC 2-1 in the 2026 season opener in Winston-Salem Friday. This is the first time Carolina has dropped its opening game of the season since 2022. After the game – which was delayed by two hours due […]
Jason DeCaro, Reese Brantmeier, Ryleigh Heck Named 2026 Patterson Medal Winners
UNC announced the 2026 class of Patterson Medal winners Tuesday morning. The Patterson Medal, first awarded in 1924, is the school’s most prestigious honor for athletic excellence and career achievement. To receive the award, Tar Heel athletes must have competed in at least three seasons for UNC and have exhausted their collegiate eligibility. The 2026 […]
UNC Field Hockey Releases 2026 Regular Season Schedule
The UNC field hockey program has released its schedule for the 2026 regular season. It will be the program’s fourth year under the leadership of head coach Erin Matson. The moment you've all been waiting for 🥳 The 2026 Carolina Field Hockey schedule is here! pic.twitter.com/3m0maMAqSK — Carolina Field Hockey (@UNCFieldHockey) July 26, 2026 UNC […]
UNC Field Hockey Head Coach Erin Matson to Appear on New ABC Series
UNC field hockey head coach Erin Matson will be featured on the latest episode of the ABC series “The Champion’s Edge with Bonnie Bernstein.” The series, which premiered in May, “highlights women excelling in their professional fields and spotlights the lessons they have learned as athletes that drive their successes while featuring practical advice on […]
Check out the Full Schedule for UNC's ACC Network Takeover
The ACC Network will air a full day of UNC games from the 2025-26 academic year Wednesday, July 1. It’s part of a series of ACC Network Takeovers, which started June 24 and include all 18 member schools. UNC’s takeover includes wall-to-wall coverage from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The broadcast day gets underway with […]
Multiple UNC Teams Post Perfect Academic Progress Rates, New Report Says
Several UNC sports programs posted perfect single-year and multi-year academic progress rates for the 2024-25 academic year, according to the NCAA’s latest report. Academic progress rate (APR) is used to track performance of scholarship students who compete on varsity teams, and the score measures eligibility and retention each semester. A perfect score is 1000, and […]
UNC Field Hockey Falls to Northwestern in Overtime in NCAA Final Four
Northwestern scored 9:23 into sudden-victory overtime to cap off a comeback win and beat UNC 4-3 at the NCAA Final Four in Durham Friday afternoon. The Wildcats hadn’t led all day, as Carolina raced out to a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes thanks to goals from sisters Ryleigh and Kara Heck. Though Northwestern closed the […]
UNC Field Hockey Beats Duke in Overtime to Advance to Final Four
Sanne Hak scored the game-winning goal off a penalty corner in sudden-victory overtime against Duke to send UNC through to the Final Four Sunday at Karen Shelton Stadium. The 2-1 win is Carolina’s third against the Blue Devils this season, two of which have come in overtime. THREE TIMES DOWNING THE DEVILS!! AND WE'RE HEADED […]
UNC Field Hockey Escapes Saint Joseph's in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
Despite a spirited effort from underdog Saint Joseph’s, UNC escaped with a 2-1 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Karen Shelton Stadium Friday afternoon. The Tar Heels are now through to Sunday’s second round, where they will await the winner of Iowa and Duke. Won the battle. More war to come!#GoHeels […]
›