(NewsNation) — Erin Matson, a phenomenon in the world of collegiate field hockey, went from player to becoming the first coach in Division I athletics to win a conference title in her first season at just 23 years old.
In 2022, Matson won the NCAA field hockey championship as a player with her University of North Carolina women’s team. Now, all eyes are on her coaching skills after she led the Tar Heels to a championship at the Atlantic Coast Conference.
She was even called the “Michael Jordan of field hockey” by USA Today.
“I still pinch myself every day,” Matson said. She explained that the whole experience just doesn’t feel real.
In January 2023, less than two months after she had graduated, the then-22-year-old announced to the team she accepted the position of head coach. She had become the youngest coach in Division I athletics, NCAA said.
NCAA described her as the most decorated player in the sport as a three-time Honda Sport Award recipient, four-time national champion, three-time national player of the year, five-time ACC champion, five-time ACC player of the year and the first in points in NCAA history, according to the ACC Network.
Plus, Matson scored the game-winning goal in her last NCAA championship game.
But now, as the coach, Matson said she utilizes everything she learned on the field as a player to make her an even better coach. She explained that having the experience as a player on the team has helped her see things from a player’s perspective, and she feels that because of this, she knows what her players need.
Matson said the team players are the most underrated part of the story, saying they show up and work hard to get better and be the best at what they do.
“They have that trust in me and I have their support. It really just works,” Matson said. “I don’t really know how to describe it, or why, but they are just so bought into it. They want to do something really special.”
The 23-year-old expressed her gratitude for the team, saying nothing could be achieved without the women on that team and their desire to be great.
“We lean on transparency and open communication. Just going through this together and learning together and growing,” Matson said. “I’m very grateful for their support every day.”
How Matson became the coach, however, happened all too quickly.
Matson explained that she had approached the school’s athletic director knowing the previous coach had planned to retire, telling him that she didn’t want to be overlooked when it came to picking a new head coach.
“He said go win a national championship and then we’ll talk. So we did that,” Matson said. “I went back to him and said, ‘OK, we listened to you. I listened to you and now I want to talk.'”
Matson said it all happened very quickly, but there’s no place she’d rather be.