CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 SPORTS) -- A common saying in the sports world is 'the hardest thing to do is beat a team three times in one season', Virginia head coach Lars Tiffany is going to need more than just a saying though.

"I've been challenging usually when people are asking me about Duke and say 'oh coach it's really hard to beat a team the third time'," Tiffany said on Tuesday, "I'm like really I don't know that, I hear that saying, somebody show me the data."

UVA men's lacrosse has never beaten one team three times in the same season in the program's history. The No. 2-seeded Cavaliers will have a chance on Saturday, May 27 at 2:30 p.m. in Philadelphia for the NCAA Tournament Semifinals against No. 3-seed Notre Dame, who Tiffany's team beat twice during the regular season.

"These are two really, really talented teams that are very evenly matched," Tiffany said, "The history's on these games, I'm trying to ignore."

The two regular season matchups were both tight affairs until big second halves from Virginia with a 15-10 win in South Bend and closing the regular season by winning 12-8 in Charlottesville. The last time UVA topped the Fighting Irish twice in one year was in 2019.

"Two different tales there, but I think no one is really thinking about those games, I'm sure their locker room is saying the same thing is that it doesn't matter, which it doesn't," senior attackman Xander Dickson said, "Whoever is playing the best lacrosse right now is going to hold the trophy up come Monday."

Virginia has won six-straight against Notre Dame dating back to 2019, but will meet in the NCAA Tournament for the first since 2012 and the first time ever as ACC rivals.

"I think we've had their number over the last few years and they know that and we know that, but I think when it comes to the Final Four all that is thrown out the window, what you've done throughout the regular season doesn't matter, your wins, your losses," senior middie Grayson Sallade said, "The heightened stage gets rid of all that and I think it's a pretty even playing field, so just matters how you show up on that day."

If the Cavaliers make history by beating the Fighting Irish for a third time, Tiffany still expects to hear the question before Monday's championship game with a potential matchup against Duke, who handed Virginia two of their three losses this season.

"Hopefully you guys are asking me the same question on Sunday as we're getting ready to play a Duke team that we obviously don't have a great history playing against," Tiffany joked, "And I'm going to say the same thing, we're going to ignore the history."