UNC's Matson perhaps the most dominant female athlete in all college sports

Wednesday, May 20, 2020
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina's women's field hockey team has won an ACC-record 46 consecutive games and the last two national titles. Erin Matson has been on campus for two years. It doesn't take a master sleuth to connect those two dots.

"The team deserves it, the program deserves it, the university deserves it. So, I'm just happy I can help" Matson said, matter-of-factly.

Matson is a two-time first-team All-American, a two-time ACC Offensive Player of the Year, the National Player of the Year and as of Monday, the ACC Female Athlete of the Year. You could make a strong case for her as the most dominant female athlete in all of college sports.

"It doesn't sound real, it really doesn't. Everyone always asks me, and it's not like I want to sound cocky or anything, but I mean there's a lot, and I forget because all I'm focusing on is winning a third national championship this coming season," Matson said. "So, it's not like it really matters but it does, it's nice, it's rewarding."

Erin is clearly at least 50 percent magic. The rest of the equation, she said is simple.

"I put in the work. I work a lot. You can ask my teammates, I mean we always push each other, we're working together," she stressed "I harp on just being the best at the basics because I really think that's the first thing you need to do. And I think that's completely let me excel."

There is no more valuable skill in any sport than scoring and Matson is lethal in that regard.

"I've always loved scoring. I love the feeling of scoring; I love the play leading up to it and finishing with the goal. I love shooting and it comes naturally, so obviously, I'm going to do it until someone tells me I can't, which hopefully is never," Matson laughed.

The next goal? A third straight national title and if possible, unbeaten perfection again. Matson lives for that pressure.

"I thrive in those big games with the big crowds and you know everything's on the line, and I love that feeling, and I think it's a privilege to even be in that circumstance," she said.
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