Erin Matson is a field hockey champion. Her boyfriend just helped the Dodgers win the World Series.
The UNC field hockey coach from Chadds Ford met Ben Casparius, a reliever, as student-athletes at the university, and they have been there for many of each other’s biggest moments on the field.
Erin Matson and Ben Casparius have told each other several times that they can’t “believe this is our life.”
In the span of their six-year relationship, Matson, a Chadds Ford native, became the youngest-ever Division I coach at age 22 for North Carolina’s field hockey team. She led the Tar Heels to an NCAA title last season, her first at the helm. Casparius, a right-handed pitcher, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB draft. He made his major league debut in August, and last week, he helped the Dodgers win the World Series vs. the New York Yankees.
“That was a moment that he dreamed about his entire life,” said Matson, 24, a Unionville High School grad. “I’ve dreamed about it for him to have. Being able to embrace each other in that moment and really just have a good long hug of just both of us being so proud of each other, celebrating and taking photos on the field with the confetti falling in Yankee Stadium, wearing his Dodger uniform, it was a total movie scene.
“It’s one of those memories that will cherish and tell stories about forever, and I’m really glad we could have shared it.”
The two met as student-athletes in Chapel Hill. Matson, a forward, helped lead the Tar Heels to four NCAA titles in five seasons as a player; Casparius was a two-way player for two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to UConn in 2020. They didn’t start officially dating until he transferred out and have been long-distance ever since.
Matson said they always supported each other’s athletic endeavors and encouraged the other to put those aspirations first. She had a conversation with Casparius before taking the coaching job at UNC, asking, “Are you ready for this?” She knew it would come with sacrifice and planning to also be there in big moments.
“Without hesitation, he said, ‘Yes, go chase [those dreams] — I’ll be a part of it,’” she said. “I’m grateful for that, and same thing. It only makes me want to be able to cheer him on even more.”
» READ MORE: Chadds Ford’s Erin Matson still hopes to be an Olympian, but she’s ‘living my dream’ coaching UNC
She attended one National League Championship Series game vs. the New York Mets at Citi Field, which was the first time she saw Casparius in a Dodgers uniform in the majors. Then she made it to all three World Series games at Yankee Stadium.
Game 4 was particularly important, Matson said, because Casparius made his World Series debut as the opener in a bullpen game. After coaching practice that day, she bolted to the airport. Initially, she didn’t think she would make it on time, but a UNC donor let Matson use a private plane to get to New York.
» READ MORE: Field hockey coach Erin Matson made an ‘empowering’ visit to the Olympics
“I planned as much as possible so that I could go and the team and the program [would] not take a hit,” Matson said. “But still do what’s best for my relationship and me personally. I’ve had a lot of support, and it’s been a lot of planning, but for us to do it and be there for each other in those big moments, that means a lot.”
As a player and coach, Matson has had her boyfriend’s support on the sidelines. He was there for her NCAA Tournament runs and plans to be there for most postseason games this year, she said.
North Carolina is undefeated (16-0) and beat California, 5-0, on Tuesday morning in the first round of the ACC tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Tar Heels will play the winner of Syracuse-Virginia in Wednesday’s semifinals.
Matson, who was named ACC Coach of the Year on Monday, could lead her team, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation, to consecutive NCAA championships.
“Everybody thinks we’ll get complacent, like, ‘You’ve done it all, what more do you want?’” Matson said. “Honestly, it’s backward for us. The more we win, the more trophies we bring home and celebrations we experience, the more we want to make it keep happening. The motivation comes from everybody doubting them and having that sense of you’ve done enough.”
During these moments, though, Matson tries to take a step back and appreciate how far she’s come — and seeing Casparius fulfill his dreams sparks those thoughts even more.
“We’ve created this life and worked hard for this life, but it doesn’t feel real,” Matson said. “It’s just so amazing to think of the stage that we’re both doing of our things, and it’s pretty remarkable.”