UNC Field Hockey Advances to Another NCAA Final Four

Did you expect anything less? Erin Matson has led the UNC Field Hockey program to another Final Four appearance in her first season as head coach.

Erin Matson is a winner. She has been since she stepped foot on the University of North Carolina campus in 2018. The UNC Field Hockey program has been dominant under Karen Shelton for decades, going to 26 total Final Fours.

Matson was the team leader for the last five years, as the Tar Heels went to four Final Fours and won a National Championship in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022. Now, Matson is the head coach.

And in year one, she’s taking her former teammates, now her players, back to where she ended her career just a year ago as a head coach.

The Tar Heels are 16-3 this season, which earned them the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. They received a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament before facing William & Mary. They beat the Tribe 6-1. On Sunday, they played Harvard, with a trip to the Final Four on the line. UNC Field Hockey beat the Crimson 4-2.

As they advance to the Final Four, they will see a familiar opponent: Virginia. This will be the third matchup of the season for UNC Field Hockey and Virginia. The Cavaliers beat the Tar Heels 3-2 just over three weeks ago in Charlottesville. North Carolina responded with a 2-1 win in the ACC Semifinals.

The Final Four and National Championship will be hosted by North Carolina in Chapel Hill and played at Karen Shelton Stadium for the first time since 2020. The Tar Heels play the Cavaliers on Friday, November 17th, at 12:00 PM. The other National Semifinal will feature Northwestern vs Duke at 2:00 PM.

The National Championship game will be on Sunday, at 1:30 PM.

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