By Lenny Strauss
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
Hometown Weekly celebrates the success of Tufts Field Hockey Coach, Tina McDavitt Mattera. In her now 20-year tenure, Coach Mattera transformed the team into one of the most dominant college programs in the country. Her coaching has led the team to 13 NCAA appearances, five Final Fours, and coming out as Division III champions in 2012, when they defeated Montclair State in the finals. Her mind-boggling 286-87 record as a coach, along with a laundry list of awards and titles, including multiple coach of the year awards, her ability to foster success shows in every facet of her involvement with Tufts.
A formidable field hockey player in her own right, Mattera dominated as a player of Walpole’s own Porkers, achieving the rank of Globe All-Scholastic and Player of the Year as she led the school to its second straight state title in 1995. In 1999, she was field hockey team captain for Boston University. She continues to play field hockey today to great success, and after a series of selection committees and practices, she was selected to compete in the Women’s Masters World Cup in England this spring. Her devotion to the sport both as player and coach shines through every effort, and we were able to briefly speak to her about her experiences in both!
LS: “In a Tufts interview from 2004, you noted that you weren’t used to losing. You’d never been on a losing team in high school, college or while coaching” Looking back now 300 wins later, do you feel like your coaching philosophy and focus on mental toughness has changed?”
TM: “No, I think it is just innate. Growing up in Walpole, we were good at everything! Field Hockey, Basketball, Softball, I remember getting to college and losing a couple games, and I thought, this is weird. We were 48-0 my junior and senior year at Walpole. My dad was super competitive with us growing up, he never let us win anything, so even now you just work for it, and expect to win.”
LS: “How has your relationship with Field Hockey changed as a coach? Do you love the sport more now than you did as a player?”
TM: “I still play field hockey! I’ve been playing for the US Indoor team for a number of years, and just recently I found out I made the Master’s team for indoors over 45, and I will be playing in Nottingham, England in March! I still love it, and love playing, which is super fun.”
LS: “What do you do to prepare your team in the offseason, are you excited for the upcoming season?”
TM: “The conference that we are in only allows us to work with the team for ten practices in the spring, so it really falls on the kids to make sure they are doing their lifting and running. They are organized by their captains, and practice together, so they need to maintain that motivation and put the work in.”
LS:Do you find yourself back in Walpole on occasion? What has changed the most about the town?
TM: “My parents are still there! What is great is that my brother-in-law lives a mile from where I grew up. So, when we visit for the holidays, we are so close to my old elementary school! That has been fun going back. The town feels so much fancier than it was back in the day!”
We wish Tina the best of luck this upcoming season, as the Jumbos take the field once again, starting in August 2026!
