Men’s Lax: No. 4 seed UVA faces top-seeded Notre Dame in ACC semifinals

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

No. 4 seed Virginia returns to the postseason Friday, when the Cavaliers take on top-seeded Notre Dame in the first semifinal game of the 2026 Allstate Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Lacrosse Championship.

Opening faceoff from American Legion Memorial Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.) is set for 5 p.m. on ACC Network and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM).

The Cavaliers (8-6) are the nation’s only team this season to knock off Notre Dame (10-1), which is ranked No. 1 in this week’s USILA coaches poll and Inside Lacrosse media poll.

A WIN FOR THE CAVALIERS WOULD …

Be UVA’s first in the ACC Tournament since winning the championship game over the Fighting Irish at Klöckner Stadium in 2019.
Improve their all-time ACC Tournament record to 24-21, dating back to the event’s inception in 1989. In 44 tournament games played, UVA has scored 477 goals, while its opponents have totaled 473.
Mark their second over a No. 1-ranked Notre Dame squad this season. UVA defeated the Irish 11-9 in thrilling fashion at Klöckner Stadium on March 28.
Mark only the second instance in program history in which UVA has knocked off a No. 1 team twice in the same season. The other was in 2023, when the Wahoos defeated top-ranked Notre Dame in both regular-season meetings.
Be UVA’s first-ever at American Legion Memorial Stadium.

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SERIES HISTORY

In its 11-9 triumph over No. 1 Notre Dame at Klöckner Stadium earlier this year, UVA tied the all-time series, which began during the 1993 NCAA Tournament, 12-12.
The Cavaliers’ 2026 regular-season win snapped their four-game skid in the series. Prior to losing four straight, UVA had won six consecutive games over UND from 2019-23.
The Cavaliers and Fighting Irish have met three times in the ACC Tournament, in 2018, 2019 and 2024. UND leads the series 2-1 in such contests, but the Wahoos got the best of the Irish in the 2019 title game, 10-4. That was also UVA’s last ACC Tournament championship.
After scoring the first four goals in the 2024 ACC semifinals, Notre Dame dominated UVA on the way to its 18-9 victory. In that 2024 ACC semifinal, faceoff specialist Andrew Greenspan, who transferred to UVA from UND after the 2024 season, finished 6 for 8 at the center X and tallied five ground balls.
The Irish went on to win the ACC and NCAA championships that year, with a compelling 16-1 overall record.
In the 2019 ACC Tournament championship game, Virginia knocked off the Irish, 10-4, at Klöckner Stadium after holding UND scoreless for 42:12.
In a physical battle that featured 12 total penalties, UND scored seven consecutive goals in the second half to seal a 12-7 win over the Hoos in last year’s regular-season meeting at Arlotta Stadium (South Bend, Ind.).
Virginia and Notre Dame have squared off five times in the NCAA Tournament (’93, ’94, ’06, ’12, ’23), with the Cavaliers leading 3-2 in such contests.
At Championship Weekend in 2023, UND scored four of the last five goals, including the game-winner in overtime, at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, Pa.).
In 2006, the Cavaliers defeated the Irish 20-8 in the NCAA quarterfinals before capturing the program’s fourth NCAA title in a 15-7 decision over UMass at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, Pa).

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH

As of April 30, Notre Dame (10-1) and Richmond (12-1) are the nation’s only two one-loss teams.
The Fighting Irish (2023 and 2024) and Cavaliers (2019 and 2021) are the only two DI teams to have won consecutive national championships in the last 10 years.
Notre Dame is third among all Division I teams and leads the ACC in scoring defense (8.27).
ACC Goalie of the Year Thomas Ricciardelli ranks third among DI netminders in save percentage (59.1) and fifth in goals-against average (8.06). The Irish also boast the ACC’s two-time Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Shawn Lyght.
Sophomore midfielder Matt Jeffery is a two-time All-ACC selection and was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2025.
Notre Dame is led by Charlottesville native and UVA alum Kevin Corrigan ’82, who is in his 40th season as a collegiate head coach, which makes him the second-longest tenured active Division I head coach. Corrigan was named the 2026 ACC Coach of the Year after UND went 3-1 in ACC play to claim this year’s ACC regular-season title outright.

LAST THEY MET

Virginia defeated No. 1 Notre Dame 11-9 on March 28, at Klöckner Stadium, marking the program’s first win by an unranked team over a top-ranked opponent.
The Cavaliers held the Irish scoreless for the final 19:34.
Brendan Millon (2g, 2a) scored the game-winning goal in heroic fashion with 3:29 remaining to deliver the Wahoos’ first lead since the opening quarter.
In addition to Brendan Millon, Truitt Sunderland (2g, 2a) and McCabe Millon (1g, 3a) recorded four points apiece, while, Joey Terenzi and Hudson Hausmann added two goals each.
UVA goaltender Jake Marek made 11 saves – his third straight game with double-digit stops – as the defense anchored the late shutout stretch.
The win marked UVA’s third straight at the time and snapped an 11-game skid against ranked opponents.

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE

Virginia has claimed at least a share of 19 ACC championships, including two (2019 & 2022) under head coach Lars Tiffany.
The Cavaliers won 11 titles (1962, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986) prior to the ACC establishing a tournament from 1989-2019 to determine the champion.
Virginia has won seven ACC Tournament championships: 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2010 and 2019.
In the 2019 ACC Tournament, which was held at Klöckner Stadium, UVA defeated Notre Dame 10-4 in the championship game.
From 1989-2019, Virginia won 14 regular-season titles (1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2019), more than any other ACC school.

MILLON BROTHERS ARE NATION’S BEST TANDEM

Brothers Brendan Millon and McCabe Millon are perhaps the nation’s best 1-2 punch in all of Division I men’s lacrosse.
For games played through April 28, Brendan Millon, the ACC Freshman of the Year, leads the ACC in points (4.79/gm) and is third in assists (2.64/gm), good for eighth and seventh, respectively, among all Division I players.
He also leads all DI freshmen in both assists and points per game.
Against ACC opponents, Brendan Millon averaged 4.5 points per game. He notched six points in two ACC meetings, at then-No. 7 Duke and against then-No. 3 North Carolina.
McCabe Millon leads the ACC and is fourth nationally in assists (2.86/gm). He’s also third in the ACC in points (4.57/gm).
After being named to its preseason watch list, McCabe Millon was named one of 25 nominees for the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the top player in college lacrosse.
McCabe Millon has notched at least four points in all but three games this season. He achieved career highs in both points (9) and assists (5) in UVA’s season opener, a 19-14 win over Colgate (Feb. 8).
During UVA’s most recent four-game win streak, Brendan Millon averaged 6.0 points per game, including 4.0 assists per game.
Brendan Millon has tallied at least five assists in three games this year, all of which were UVA wins. He had five helpers in his collegiate debut against Colgate (Feb. 8) and on the road against then-No. 7 Duke (April 4).
Against Dartmouth, he tallied a whopping 10 points on four goals and a career-high six assists. He’s the only Division I freshmen to tally at least 10 points in a game this season and one of only nine players overall (for games played through April 28).

HOOS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS

For games played through April 28, UVA is second nationally in assists (9.64/gm), third in points (23.79/gm), fourth in caused turnovers (13.00) and ground balls (37.64), eighth in scoring offense (14.14/gm) and 11th shooting percentage (.331).
Truitt Sunderland (2.93/gm) is tied with UNC’s Dominic Pietramala in leading the ACC in goals, also good for 11th among all Division I players.
Two-time All-ACC defenseman John Schroter leads the ACC and is 29th in caused turnovers (1.67/gm).

ON THE HORIZON

The winner of Virginia–Notre Dame will await the winner of No. 3 seed Syracuse (11-4) and No. 4 North Carolina (11-3). The Orange and Tar Heels will clash in the second ACC semifinal on Friday at approximately 8 p.m. on ACC Network. The ACC championship game is slated for Sunday at noon on ACCN.

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