UNC field hockey wins twice, Matson earns ACC Offensive Player of the Week

For the second year in a row, sophomore Erin Matson of the North Carolina field hockey team has won the first Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Week award of the season.

The No. 1 ranked Tar Heels spent the weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge where they faced No. 7 Michigan on Friday and No. 8 Iowa on Sunday.

In the first game against Michigan, Matson did everything she could to help UNC secure the win.

After the Tar Heels conceded the opening goal of the match in the first two minutes of the game, the forward proceeded to lead an offensive explosion in the second period.

In a span of under eight minutes, Matson scored three goals for North Carolina, allowing UNC to carry a 3-2 lead into the half.

A final goal by senior Marissa Creatore in the closing minutes of the game sealed the 4-2 victory for the Tar Heels. Matson finished the evening with five shots, four of which were on goal.

The second half of the weekend featured a much more suspenseful contest for North Carolina.

With only five minutes remaining in the game against the Hawkeyes, UNC found itself down, 1-0, with the sound of the final buzzer creeping closer.

Goals from senior Catherine Hayden and Creatore allowed the Tar Heels to clinch the comeback victory.

Although Matson wasn’t able to score against the Hawkeyes, the forward was absolutely a nuisance for the Iowa goalkeeper. The sophomore finished the game with another four shots on goal.

Matson’s strong form to start the season shouldn’t come as a surprise.

As a first-year, she started all 23 games on a North Carolina team that finished the season undefeated and won the national championship. Matson led that squad in both goals and assists at 20 and 19, respectively.

Matson also became the second UNC first-year from the field hockey program to ever be named first-team All-America.

Matson and the Tar Heels will look to maintain their solid offensive efforts as they take on Princeton in the ACC-Ivy League Conference Crossover on Sept. 6, in Karen Shelton Stadium. 

Last season, UNC defeated Princeton, 1-0, in a defensive match that was one of the few games of last year in which Matson was unable to find the back of the net.

@McMastersJ

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