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Your guide to the NCAA lacrosse championships at Gillette Stadium

This is the first semifinal berth in program history for the Boston College women’s lacrosse team.Andrew Katsampes/www.akactionphoto.com

Gillette Stadium is playing host this weekend to a full slate of college lacrosse championships.

The action gets underway Friday evening with the Division 1 women’s semifinals and goes through Monday, when the Division 1 men’s national title game will be played. The weekend includes the national title games in men’s Division 2 and Division 3.

Here is a look at the weekend schedule, all of the teams descending on Foxborough, and spectator information:

Schedule

Friday

Women’s Division 1 semifinals

Maryland vs. Penn State, 5 p.m. (ESPN3)

Boston College vs. Navy, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN3)

Saturday

Men’s Division 1 semifinals

Ohio State vs. Towson, noon (ESPN2)

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Maryland vs. Denver, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Sunday

Women’s Division 1 championship

Semifinal winner vs. semifinal winner, 11 a.m. (ESPNU)

Men’s Division 2 championship

Merrimack vs. Limestone, 2 p.m.

Men’s Division 3 championship

Rochester Institute of Technology vs. Salisbury, 5 p.m.

Monday

Men’s Division 1 championship

Semifinal winner vs. semifinal winner, 1 p.m. (ESPN2)

The fields

Women’s Division 1 semifinals

MARYLAND

Rank: 1. Record: 21-0. Coach: Cathy Reese, 10th season.

Key players: Megan Whittle (66 goals, 14 assists), Zoe Stukenberg (50 goals, 26 assists), Caroline Wannen (33 goals, 37 assists), Kali Hartshorn (52 goals, 11 assists, 96 draw controls), Megan Taylor (9.20 GAA, 191 saves, .541 save percentage), Nadine Hadnagy (24 caused turnovers, 26 ground balls).

Bracket path: Had a first-round bye; crushed High Point, 21-6, in the second round; got by Stony Brook, 13-12, in the quarterfinals.

Briefly: This is the Terps’ ninth straight trip to the final four, as they try to win the program’s 13th national title. They have won three titles over that stretch (2010, 2014, 2015) . . . Maryland finished the regular season undefeated for the third consecutive year . . . Hadnagy, Stukenberg, and Taylor earned first-team All-American honors. Whittle was named to the second team, and Wannen was named to the third team . . . Hadnagy is one of three defenders in the country among those up for the Tewaaraton Award.

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PENN STATE

Rank: 4. Record: 17-3. Coach: Missy Doherty, seventh season.

Key players: Steph Lazo (45 goals, 42 assists), Madison Carter (69 goals, 11 assists), Katie O’Donnell (61 goals, 6 assists), Cat Rainone (10.24 GAA, 179 saves, .479 save percentage).

Bracket path: Had a first-round bye; beat James Madison, 19-14, in the second round; got by fifth-ranked Princeton, 14-12, in the quarterfinals.

Briefly: This is the Nittany Lions’ second straight semifinal appearance and their 15th overall as they try to win their first national title since 1989 . . . Earlier this season, the Lions lost to the Terps, 16-14 . . . These Lions broke the program record for most goals in a season. They have 293 entering the weekend. The previous record of 280 was achieved in 1986 and 2015 . . . Carter and O’Donnell, who were named second-team All-Americans, combined to scored 130 of those goals . . . Lazo, the Big Ten Attacker of the Year, was named an IWLCA first-team All-American.

BOSTON COLLEGE

Rank: Unranked. Record: 16-6. Coach: Acacia Walker, fifth season.

Key players: Sam Apuzzo (74 goals, 37 assists), Kate Weeks (72 goals, 26 assists), Kaileen Hart (47 goals, 24 assists), Zoe Ochoa (13.21 GAA, 105 saves, .386 save percentage) Lauren Daley (10.90 GAA, 90 saves, .466 save percentage).

Bracket path: Stomped Canisius, 21-9, in the first round; upset sixth-ranked Syracuse, 21-6, in the second round; beat USC, 20-14, in the quarterfinals.

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Briefly: This is the first semifinal berth in program history . . . The Eagles have scored 20 or more goals in each of their last three outings . . . Their 16 wins are a program record . . . Apuzzo ranks second in the country in points with 111. (Stony Brook’s Kylie Ohlmiller racked up a whopping 164.) She reached 100 points in 25 games, fastest in program history, and broke the record for most points in a season.

NAVY

Rank: Unranked. Record: 18-4. Coach: Cindy Timchal, 10th season.

Key players: Jenna Collins (71 goals, 40 assists), Kelly Larkin (48 goals, 54 assists), Morgan Young (52 goals, 25 assists), Julia Collins (46 goals, 26 assists, 112 draw controls), Ingrid Boyum (9.54 GAA, 128 saves, .399 save percentage).

Bracket path: Got by seventh-ranked Penn, 11-10, in the first round; beat UMass, 23-11, in the second round; upset second-ranked North Carolina, 16-14, in the quarterfinals.

Briefly: This is Navy’s first semifinal appearance in the program’s 11 years . . . The Midshipmen fell to the Eagles, 20-11, earlier this season . . . They have the ninth-ranked scoring offense at 15.59 goals per game . . . Captain Meghan Hubley, a key piece to the defense and a three-year starter, is likely out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. She had 42 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers this season . . . Jenna Collins is tied with Apuzzo for second-most points in the country (111) . . . Larkin ranks seventh (102).

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Read up on the women’s semifinals: Navy coach Timchal coached at Maryland from 1991-2006 and won eight national titles. During her tenure, she coached all three of her final four counterparts . . . . Timchal’s coaching tree has many branches . . . Penn State can draw upon its experience from a year ago to help ensure it approaches the weekend in the right frame of mind . . . Carter and O’Donnell fuel Penn State’s high-octane offense . . . A primer on BC women’s lacrosse . . . Navy heads to its first Final Four with plenty of support.

Men’s Division 1 semifinals

MARYLAND

Rank: 1. Record: 14-3. Coach: John Tillman, seventh season.

Key players: Matt Rambo (40 goals, 43 assists), Connor Kelly (42 goals, 11 assists), Colin Heacock (26 goals, 17 assists), Dan Morris (8.96 GAA, 181 saves, .545 save percentage), Jon Garino Jr. (.612 on faceoffs).

Bracket path: Beat Bryant, 13-10, in the first round; defeated Albany, 18-9, in the quarterfinals.

Briefly: The Terps are trying to end a 42-year title drought . . . This is their fourth straight trip to the final four and sixth in seven years . . . Rambo, Kelly, Tim Muller, and Isaiah Davis-Allen were named first-team All-Americans . . . Rambo is the only player in program history to record at least 40 goals and 40 assists in a season. He also holds the program record for most career points (253 entering the weekend).

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DENVER

Rank: 5. Record: 13-3. Coach: Bill Tierney, eighth season.

Key players: Ethan Walker (38 goals, 32 assists), Connor Cannizzaro (41 goals, 24 assists), Austin French (28 goals, 18 assists), Alex Ready (8.46 GAA, 120 saves, .484 save percentage), Trevor Baptiste (.756 on faceoffs).

Bracket path: Defeated Air Force, 17-10, in the first round; knocked off fourth-ranked Notre Dame, 16-4, in the quarterfinals.

Briefly: Tierney and the Pioneers are trying for their second NCAA title in three years, winning in 2015, the program’s first title . . . This is the fourth time Denver has met Maryland in the NCAA tournament. The Pioneers topped the Terps to win the championship in 2015 . . . Cannizzaro owns the longest active point streak in the country at 57 games . . . Freshman Walker has 46 points in his last nine outings. He had a team-high 10 hat tricks this season . . . Baptiste, a Tewaaraton Award finalist, is 115-169 (.680) in faceoffs in his NCAA tournament career, including 44 of 49 (.898) this year.

OHIO STATE

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Rank: 3. Record: 15-4. Coach: Nick Myers, ninth season.

Key players: Eric Fannell (34 goals, 29 assists), Tre Leclaire (45 goals, 14 assists), Colin Chell (20 goals, 12 assists), Tom Carey (8.17 GAA, 156 saves, .547 save percentage), Jake Withers (.661 on faceoffs).

Bracket path: Beat Loyola (Md.), 7-4, in the first round; defeated Duke, 16-11, in the quarterfinals.

Briefly: This is the first time the Buckeyes have advanced to the semifinals. This is their sixth overall appearance in the tournament and their third in five years . . . Ohio State and Towson played earlier this season, the Buckeyes winning, 6-3 . . . Leclaire was Big Ten Freshman of the Year and second-team All-Big Ten . . . Withers repeated as Big Ten Specialist of the Year and ranks fourth in the nation in faceoff winning percentage (.661) . . . Ben Randall earned first-team All-American honors.

TOWSON

Rank: Unranked. Record: 12-4. Coach: Shawn Nadelen, fifth season.

Key players: Ryan Drenner (27 goals, 28 assists), Joe Seider (32 goals, 10 assists), Mike Lynch (21 goals, 6 assists), Matt Hoy (6.99 GAA, 67 saves, .536 save percentage), Alex Woodall (.601 on faceoffs).

Bracket path: Beat Penn State, 12-8, in the first round; upset second-ranked Syracuse, 10-7, in the quarterfinals.

Briefly: This is the Tigers’ first semifinal appearance since 2001 and their third overall . . . They are 4-3 against ranked opponents this season . . . Their win over Syracuse marked the second straight year they eliminated a No. 2 team from the tournament . . . Tyler Mayes was CAA Defensive Player of the Year . . . The seniors have collected 48 wins, a program-best, and three CAA championships . . . Drenner and Seider have combined for more than 300 career points, the only pair in the CAA with 200-plus points . . . Jack Adams and Zach Goodrich were second-team All-Americans.

Read up on the men’s semifinals: Maryland and Denver are relying on experience . . . Controlling jitters is part of the agenda for Towson and Ohio State . . . Here are Ohio State’s thorough game notes leading up to the matchup . . . A highlight-reel goal was the icing on cake for Towson attackman Joe Seider . . . Once considered slow, Maryland is pushing for transition chances.

Men’s Division 2 championship

LIMESTONE

Seed: 1. Record: 20-1. Coach: J.B. Clarke, seventh season.

Key players: Charlie Sheehan (62 goals, 20 assists), Brendan P. Smith (45 goals, 13 assists), Ryan Maciejewski (32 goals, 29 assists), Kevin Reisman (.746 on faceoffs), Cole Aikens (8.29 GAA, 123 saves, .521 save percentage).

Bracket path: Beat fourth-seeded Wingate, 14-5, in the first round; got by third-seeded Tampa, 12-10, in the semifinals.

MERRIMACK

Seed: 3. Record: 15-3. Coach: Mike Morgan, 10th season.

Key players: Charlie Bertrand (51 goals, 23 assists), Tim Towler (38 goals, 15 assists), Kyle Stenberg (35 goals, 14 assists), Blake Boudreau (.633 on faceoffs), Edward Hellier (7.88 GAA, 147 saves, .559 save percentage).

Bracket path: Beat second-seeded Le Moyne, 10-5, in the first round; defeated top-seeded Adelphi, 17-9, in the semifinals.

Read up on the D2 title game: When Limestone advanced to the final four, there was no celebration whatsoever among the players . . . Sheehan is the force behind the explosive Limestone offense . . . Merrimack feels something special ahead of the semifinals.

Men’s Division 3 championship

ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Regional rank: 1. Record: 20-2. Coach: Jake Coon, eighth season.

Key players: Ryan Lee (64 goals, 46 assists), Chad Levick (66 goals, 31 assists), Kyle Killen (32 goals, 23 assists), Jimmy Spillane (.526 on faceoffs), Nick Nesbitt (9.69 GAA, 211 saves, .569 save percentage).

Bracket path: Had a first-round bye; routed John Carroll, 29-8, in the second round; beat Stevenson, 17-8, in the third round; defeated SUNY Cortland, 15-9, in the quarterfinals; beat Wesleyan (Conn.), 22-9, in the semifinals.

SALISBURY

Regional rank: 1. Record: 21-1. Coach: Jim Berkman, 29th season.

Key players: Nick Garbarino (67 goals, 20 assists), Carson Kalama (65 goals, 18 assists), Nathan Blondino (60 goals, 71 assists), Duncan Campbell (.586 on faceoffs), Colin Reymann (6.36 GAA, 144 saves, .550 save percentage).

Bracket path: Had a first-round bye; crushed Misericordia, 24-3, in the second round; beat Hampden-Sydney, 25-12, in the third round; defeated Cabrini, 17-5, in the quarterfinals; got by Denison, 12-11, in the semifinals.

Read up on the D3 title game: Starting Salisbury defenseman Will Nowesnick (concussion) will be a game-time decision . . . Berkman hopes the close win over Denison is a wake-up call . . . RIT has scored 299 goals over its 15-game winning streak.

Ticket, spectator, and parking info

■ Tickets for the men’s championships can be purchased here. Single-day sessions and three-day passes are available.

■ Tickets for the women’s championships can be purchased here. Single-day sessions and two-day passes are available.

■ The box office is across from the Patriots ProShop. Hours of operation:

Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, 9 a.m. to halftime of the second semifinal

Saturday, 8 a.m to halftime of the second semifinal

Sunday, 7 a.m. to halftime of the Division 3 men’s title game

Monday, 9 a.m. to halftime of the Division 1 men’s title game

■ Parking is free for ticket-holders. Here’s a map of available parking locations and walking paths after you’ve parked.

Here is a list of items prohibited in Gillette Stadium.


Follow Rachel G. Bowers on Twitter @RachelGBowers.