May 7, 2007

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Led by number one seed Duke, the Atlantic Coast Conference will be well represented in the 2007 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament, as announced on Sunday evening. Virginia received the No. 2 seed, while Maryland and North Carolina are seventh and eighth-seeded, respectively.

The Blue Devils, winners of nine in a row and owners of a 14-2 overall record, will make their 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the squad hosts Providence College on Saturday, May 12 at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C. Duke currently owns an all-time tournament record of 9-10. Saturday's tilt will mark the first between the Blue Devils and Friars. Face-off for the Duke Blue Devils is set for noon as the game will be televised live on ESPNU. The winner will battle the winner of North Carolina and Navy in quarterfinals action in Annapolis, Md., on Sunday, May 20.

Virginia will host Delaware in first round action on Sunday, May 13 at 5 pm at Klöckner Stadium. The third-ranked Cavaliers are 12-3 this season and have been ranked in the top 10 all season long. The 2007 NCAA Tournament marks the Cavs' 30th appearance overall, second behind Johns Hopkins (36). Virginia won last year's national championship and has received a bid in 14 of the last 15 seasons. Virginia owns an 8-1 all-time record against Delaware. The winner of this game faces the winner of the UMBC at Maryland game in the quarterfinals at Navy on Sunday, May 20.

As the No. 7 seed Maryland will host UMBC in the first round at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium, Saturday, May 12. The Terps were 10-5 on the season and were awarded one of nine at-large bids to the tournament. The two teams have met 28 times during the regular season with Maryland holding a 24-4 record vs. UMBC. Earlier this season the Terps won an 11-7 decision over the Retrievers at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.

Maryland is making its 30th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which is tied for second all-time with this year's top-seed Virginia. The winner of the Maryland/UMBC game will meet the winner of the Virginia and Delaware first round game in the quarterfinals on Sunday, May 20, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.

North Carolina earned the No. 8 seed in the field of 16 teams and will play host to Patriot League champion Navy Saturday at 5 p.m. at Fetzer Field in a first-round game. The Tar Heels finished the regular season 9-5 and makes their second showing in the tournament in the past four years under the tutelage of head coach John Haus. The winner will advance to the NCAA quarterfinals at Annapolis, Md. on May 20, while UNC's first round action will be nationally televised by ESPNU.

Making 23 appearances in the title game, the ACC holds 10 NCAA titles as Virginia and North Carolina have four apiece. Maryland has two national championships (1973 and 1975), while defending national champ Virginia also won titles in 1972, 1999, 2003. The Tar Heels earned crowns in 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1991.

The Division I semifinal and championship games will be held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, May 26-28. The Division I semifinals will be televised live on ESPN2 starting at Noon ET, May 26. The championship game will be televised live on ESPN starting at 1 p.m., May 28.

The championship hosts are Johns Hopkins University; Loyola College (Maryland); the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and Towson University. This is the only NCAA team sport that holds the championships of all three divisions at a common site. The 2008 championship will travel to Boston, Massachusetts.

For ticket information for all games in Baltimore, May 26-28, call 410/261-7283.

2007 NCAA Tournament
First Round -- Saturday, May 12
Providence at (1) Duke, 12 noon
Towson at (4) Cornell, 2:30 pm
Navy at (8) North Carolina, 5 pm
Notre Dame at (3) Johns Hopkins, 7:30 pm

First Round -- Sunday, May 13
Princeton at (6) Georgetown, 12 noon
Loyola at (5) Albany, 2:30 pm
Delaware at (2) Virginia, 5 pm
UMBC at (7) Maryland, 7:30 pm

Quarterfinals
at Princeton, N.J. - Saturday, May 19
Cornell-Towson winner vs. Albany-Loyola winner
Johns Hopkins-Notre Dame winner vs. Georgetown-Princeton winner

at Annapolis, Md. - Sunday, May 20
Duke-Providence winner vs. North Carolina-Navy winner
Virginia-Delaware winner vs. Maryland-UMBC winner

Semifinals
at Baltimore, Md. (M&T Bank Stadium) - Saturday, May 26; 12 Noon & 2:30 pm

Championship
at Baltimore, Md. (M&T Bank Stadium) - Monday, May 28; 1 pm