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# Confidence a key to success in girls lacrosse for Bedford's Matthews
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/confidence-a-key-to-success-in-girls-lacrosse-for-bedfords-matthews/
- Published: 2024-06-01T14:00:35.000Z
- Updated: 2024-06-01T14:00:35.000Z
- Description: Olivia Matthews has never lacked confidence once she steps on to the lacrosse field. Why would she? The Bedford High School senior has been playing and practicing successfully with girls older than her for most of the time she's played the sport. It's a big reason why she was able to step in as a f
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Bedford, Bulldogs, girls lacrosse, NH High School Sports Insider, Olivia Matthews, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

Olivia Matthews has never lacked confidence once she steps on to the lacrosse field.

Why would she? The Bedford High School senior has been playing and practicing successfully with girls older than her for most of the time she's played the sport.

It's a big reason why she was able to step in as a freshman and start on varsity for the Bulldogs, even though the program had a talented group of sophomores in front of her.

It's why, after Bedford graduated a bunch of starters from last year's Division I championship team, the Bulldogs have been able to keep pace and get back to the final four this year. No. 2 Bedford takes on No. 3 Bishop Guertin at 4 p.m. Saturday at Bill Ball Stadium for a chance to play in the final.

And that confidence is why Bedford coach Christine Hodgdon believes Matthews will have a shot at contributing next year as a freshman at James Madison University, which finished 2024 ranked No. 16 nationally.

"Given her drive and work ethic, her IQ, she’s going to be able to step in there and find her way and contribute," Hodgdon said. "It’s a perfect place for her to be."

Hodgdon could see those attributes early on, when Matthews started showing up for clinics with the New Hampshire Tomahawks.

"When I got an opportunity to coach her when she was in sixth grade, when she would show up at some of our Tomahawks clinics, she was already running with the big kids," the coach said. "She was already in the high school group, she could hold her own there."

While she was able to compete with older players, Matthews felt like it took her a couple of years playing on varsity to fully reach her potential. Being able to watch what some of those other girls were doing, and add it to her game, helped with that growth.

"I’ve always been pretty confident in my play, whether it was freshman year or senior year," she said. "I think it’s learning those different moves and techniques that I didn’t know back then, and taking on things that I’ve learned from the people older than me or my coaches."

Matthews didn't start playing until around fifth grade, after her younger brother, Bennett, joined a youth lacrosse program. After having to go to games with her father, Zach, Matthews decided she'd rather try playing than watching.

"I picked it up and thought it was really cool," she said. "I went to a Tomahawks camp in fifth grade. I was talking to Kerry (D'Ambroise) and she was like ‘you’ve got to start playing.’ I don’t think I realized the skill and potential I had. When I really started continuing the sport and playing four seasons, I really just started to love it and really understand it. I could be peaceful on the field and do my thing."

As she started to get more into the sport, Matthews found more opportunities to play and workout, like getting to practice with the Kearsarge Regional High School girls team when her dad was still the football and boys lacrosse coach for the Cougars.

"That was a great experience," Matthews said. "I feel like I’ve gotten to play against a lot of different girls now, and of different communities of people, whether it was in New Hampshire, or other states. It grows you as a person to play against people who are better than you."

When she got to Bedford, as a freshman, Matthews was joining the varsity program with sophomores who were also going into their first year on the team following the cancelation of the 2020 spring season.

While the players in the class ahead of her had the experience of playing with each other, they were all going through the same first-year experiences, which took a lot of the pressure off everyone.

"That gave her that cushion that first year, that she could come in and contribute, than not have the whole team’s weight on her shoulders," Hodgdon said. "She gradually matriculated to a point where she just took on more and more responsibility, whether it was on the attack end or the draw or on the defensive end.

"I’ve had some pretty standout players in years past, but nobody that handled the pressure or the kind of responsibility, especially for the last two years, that she has at all three parts of the game."

Being able to play a two-way game puts Matthews among the top players to come through Bedford in Hodgdon's eyes, despite the fact that her overall statistics aren't as high.

"I’ve had kids, Hannah McCarthy and Drew Shapiro, some big scorers," Hodgdon said. "(Matthews) didn’t have the opportunity to handle the ball in the way that Hannah and Drew did their freshman year.

"Drew was an attacker. Hannah was an attacker. (Matthews) is that complete player. To have the draws she has, to play shut down defense that she does. She’s got to be considered and the numbers don’t sell that as much as those two. She’s a clear All-American again this year. We haven’t had many two-year All-Americans. That would be a nice accolade for her. She shows up and she’s consistent every game."

There's at least one more game to go in high school for Matthews, and it would mean a lot to have the opportunity for another after that.

"Getting back (to the final) would be amazing, especially with this group of girls," she said. "I love them to death. I've been teaching them those roles they’re eventually going to have to take on and keep that identity of Bedford lacrosse. I feel like over my four years, we’ve been competing for a championship, and I hope we do it again. Leaving that competitiveness, that intensity, leaving those girls with a good mark."