Foilist Caroline Mattos '16 entered the final pool of the 2014 NCAA Regionals at Wellesley College on March 9 with all of the momentum on her side.

She secured a 5-1 record in the opening round and made her way to the finals on the heels of a victory over Harvard University senior Alex Kiefer, the tournament's eventual silver medalist.

In the finals, however, Mattos hit a wall and limped to a 2-3 start in the final pool.

"My greatest challenge has been controlling my head game," she said. "Keeping a cool mind at all times is a crucial aspect of every sport, especially fencing."

In that pivotal sixth match, she rose to the challenge.

"I knew that I would have to calm myself down and just focus for each touch if I wanted to start winning," she said.

Mattos rolled off five wins in her next six matches to earn a fourth-place finish among all women's foilists in the tournament.

In the process she qualified for her second-straight NCAA Championships, to be held at the Ohio State University on Thursday.

For Mattos, the journey to Columbus-and fencing on the national stage-has been an unexpected one.

A native of Cumberland, R.I., Mattos initially never set her sights on the sport of fencing.

Then, her father spotted a recruitment advertisement from Rhode Island Fencing Academy and Club in a local newspaper. He encouraged her to begin lessons with club coach Alex Ripa.

One decade later, the rest of her story is history.

"It was with Alex's help, as well as the motivation I received from my other teammates at the club, which pushed me to work hard and get to the level I am at now," Mattos said.

Two years ago, in heading a core of foilists that include Eva Ahmad '16, Emilia Dwyer '16 and Chaya Schapiro '16, she seamlessly translated her skills and lessons from the club level to the collegiate stage.

Mattos contributed to two straight New England Conference Championships, earned a bid to the NCAA Championships in San Antonio in her rookie season and has posted an impressive 67-13 record this season.

While her fencing style has mostly remained the same since her time with Ripa, Brandeis head coach Bill Shipman has imparted intangible skills to Mattos that have proven to figure prominently in her collegiate success-confidence, ambition as well as perseverance.

"Coach Shipman has been crucial in my motivation to continue to train hard, and has kept me focused on my goals," she said.

"Coach has also taught me to be more confident with my actions."

This is especially critical as Mattos sets her sights on her second appearance at Nationals. She noted how in her first national appearance in San Antonio last March, a lack of confidence and a concern for meeting lofty expectations resulted in a loss of focus.

However, this year, with previous national exposure, Mattos is ready to make a statement.

"Since this is my second time attending I now know what to expect," she said. "I am going to try to stay cool and think of each touch within each bout. As long as I stay focused and fight hard I know I will do well."

If history is any indicator, Mattos will look to take her own advice to heart this weekend at Ohio State.