Three ACC teams in lacrosse's Final Four

Talk about a conference call.

The Atlantic Coast Conference, which for men's lacrosse fields only four teams, placed three of them in the 2011 Final Four -- Virginia, Maryland and Duke.

"If you get to this level, you're going to play somebody great," said John Danowski, coach of defending national champion Duke. "Whomever you play at this level in the semifinals is a great team."

For the Blue Devils, that "great team" also is a familiar one. Duke and Maryland split their two previous meetings. But in this case, familiarity breeds respect, not contempt, for Saturday's second and featured game of the semifinal doubleheader.

"This next challenge is about playing this great Maryland team," Danowski said. "What a great history. They've got 20 seniors. They're talented, they're tough, it's an emotional group."

Part of Maryland's emotional fire comes from the team rallying around Maria Young, mother of star attack Ryan Young of Manhasset, who died of pancreatic cancer April 17. The team has dedicated the rest of the season to Maria Young's memory and fighting spirit.

Young assisted on the winning goal in the Terps' 6-5 overtime upset of No. 1 seed Syracuse last Sunday. Earlier that day, Ryan's twin brother Kevin was on the sideline but did not play as his Duke team defeated Notre Dame to put the brothers into the Final Four in different-colored uniforms.

In Saturday's opener, familiar Final Four participant Virginia -- which has lost in the national semifinals for three straight years, twice by one goal -- faces a true party-crasher in Denver. It's the first semifinal appearance for the Pioneers in their second season under Bill Tierney, the decorated former Princeton coach with six NCAA titles on his resume.

This matchup features two of the nation's highest-scoring teams. Virginia runs its offense through Tewaaraton finalist Steele Stanwick. Denver's move-the-ball attack showcases the skills of Mark Matthews, who has 45 goals. "The key is to try to figure out what they want at the end of a sequence of moving the ball," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said.

He couldn't solve the Pioneers on April 9, when Denver beat Virginia, 12-9, on Long Island in what was billed as "The Battle of Bethpage."

The stakes are a little higher now . . . for all four teams.

NCAA Division I lacrosse championship

At M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore

Saturday semifinals

Denver (15-2) vs. Virginia (11-5), 4 p.m., ESPN2

Maryland (12-4) vs. Duke (14-5), 6:30 p.m., ESPN2

Monday championship game, 3:30 p.m., ESPN2

The teams

Denver Pioneers (15-2)

Top players: Mark Matthews (45 goals, fifth in country in goals per game, 24 assists) and Alex Demopoulos (29 goals, 28 assists), Todd Baxter (31 goals, 18 assists), Cameron Flint (27 goals, 10 assists). Roster includes players from 20 states and Canada. No Long Islanders.

Key stat: Pioneers are second-highest scoring team in Division I (12.71 goals per game), behind Robert Morris.

How they got here: Denver beat Villanova, 13-10, in the NCAA Tournament first round and Johns Hopkins, 14-9, in the quarterfinals last Saturday at Hofstra.

What to expect: Bill Tierney, former six-time NCAA champion coach at Princeton, has Denver running and gunning. It's a motion offense that's fun to watch and hard to stop.

Virginia Cavaliers (11-5)

Top players: Tewaaraton finalist Steele Stanwick (29 goals, 35 assists) and Chris Bocklet (41 goals) are elite scorers. Goalie Adam Ghitelman (Cold Spring Harbor) is No. 4 all-time in career victories for a D-I goalie. Other Long Islanders: Connor English (Manhasset), Nick O'Reilly (South Side), Jacob Ghitelman (CSH), Tom Kelly (Rocky Point).

Key stat: Virginia is No. 3 in scoring at 12.69 goals per game.

How they got here: Virginia beat Bucknell, 13-12, in overtime in the first round, and Cornell, 13-9, in the quarterfinals.

What to expect: With midfield twins Shamel and Rhamel Bratton (Huntington) off the team, the Cavaliers have shared the ball better and allowed Stanwick to run the offense.

Maryland Terrapins (12-4)

Top players: Ryan Young (Manhasset) is the top scorer (27 assists, 19 goals). Grant Catalino (26 goals) and Joe Cummings (25 goals) are dangerous snipers. Curtis Holmes is seventh in the country in faceoff win percentage (62.5). Other Long Islanders: Michael Ehrhardt (Chaminade), Greg D'Arienzo (Carey).

Key stat: Terps are fourth-stingiest defense in the country at 7.06 goals allowed per game. Hofstra was No. 1 at 6.56.

How they got here: Maryland beat ACC rival North Carolina, 13-6, in first round and stunned No. 1 Syracuse in overtime, 6-5, in the quarterfinals.

What to expect: Used a dominant faceoff game and long possessions to effectively neutralize Syracuse. Would love to do it again.

Duke Blue Devils (14-5)

Top players: Zach Howell (Huntington) is leading scorer (42 goals, 16 assists), followed by freshman Jordan Wolf (31 goals, 20 assists). C.J. Costabile defends and gobbles up ground balls. Other Long Islanders: Justin Turri (West Islip), Ben Belmont (Great Neck South), Kevin Young (Chaminade), Jimmy O'Neill (Chaminade), Brendan Fowler (Chaminade), Terrence Molinari (Manhasset), Mike Rock (Bay Shore), Matt Kunkel (Ward Melville).

Key stat: Duke is fifth in scoring at 12.63 goals per game.

How they got here: Duke edged Delaware, 15-14, in the first round and beat Notre Dame, 7-5, in the quarterfinals.

What to expect: Terps and Blue Devils split two regular-season games. Duke will try to mix personnel to disrupt Maryland's faceoff dominance.