Erin Matson was arguably the best field hockey player in NCAA history. While at UNC, she led the Tar Heels to four national championships, and three times she was named the national player of the year.
Then came a startling twist -- at age 22, only one month after graduation, Matson was named the head coach of the very UNC team she had been starring for, replacing Karen Shelton. 
Shelton won 10 NCAA titles at UNC, so Matson (now age 23) begins her coaching career with big shoes to fill. Think of it like this: What if Mia Hamm had finished her college career at UNC and then had immediately started coaching the Tar Heels' women’s soccer team? That’s what has happened here, just in a different sport. In this interview, Matson talks about coaching players who some cases are literally older than she is, as well as her upbringing in Pennsylvania and the part of coaching she just hasn't mastered yet.
Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Loumay Alesali, Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. Our interns on this production are Zoe Williams and Christina Silvestri. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices