Virginia, seeded fourth, will play against top-seeded Notre Dame in the first semifinal of the 2026 Allstate Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Lacrosse Championship on May 1. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte and will be broadcast on ACC Network and WINA radio.
The matchup holds significance as Virginia is the only team this season to defeat Notre Dame, which currently holds the No. 1 ranking in both the USILA coaches poll and Inside Lacrosse media poll. A win would mark Virginia’s first ACC Tournament victory since defeating Notre Dame for the championship at Klöckner Stadium in 2019.
Virginia tied its all-time series with Notre Dame earlier this year after an 11-9 win that also ended a four-game losing streak against the Irish. In their history, both teams have faced each other three times before in ACC Tournament play, with Notre Dame holding a slight edge of two wins to one; however, Virginia claimed victory over them during their last tournament championship meeting in 2019.
Notre Dame enters the game with a record of ten wins and one loss and leads Division I teams in scoring defense within the Atlantic Coast Conference. Their head coach Kevin Corrigan was named ACC Coach of the Year after leading his team to an outright regular-season title this year. The Irish are led by key players including goalie Thomas Ricciardelli and midfielder Matt Jeffery.
The winner between Virginia and Notre Dame will advance to meet either Syracuse or North Carolina—who play later that evening—in Sunday’s championship match set for noon.
