Third time’s the charm, right?

The Penn State women’s lacrosse team is coming off its second straight final four appearance. The Nittany Lions lost to Maryland 20-10 this past spring and North Carolina 12-11 in 2016, the latter being their first NCAA semifinal since 1999.

In 2018, Stony Brook will host the NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship for the third time after Northwestern won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012 in front of near-record crowds.

This year, both the Nittany Lions and Seawolves will be aiming for the final four – and a championship berth. Penn State last won the final in 1989, though Stony Brook has yet to reach the highest pedestal.

The playoff hopefuls will meet for the first time this year on Penn State’s home turf, kicking off the Nittany Lions’ fall ball tournament.

The fall ball host returns two of its best players in senior Katie O’Donnell, a scrappy midfielder who ranked second in goals in 2017, and Madison Carter, the all-around player who led with 70 goals and 130 draw controls this past season. However, Penn State needs to replace two stars in attacker Steph Lazo and midielder Abby Smucker.

Stony Brook has the lethal duo back in Tewaaraton finalist Kylie Ohlmiller and the now-healthy redshirt senior Courtney Murphy, who tore her ACL at the beginning of the 2017 season following a record-breaking 2016. The Seawolves graduated standout midfielders Kristin Yevolia and Dorrien Van Dyke, but for Murphy especially, they appear to have extra motivation given their hosting duties.

The road to the championship starts Saturday at 10 a.m. for Penn State and Stony Brook, followed by eight additional games also featuring Cornell, Lehigh and Syracuse.

Other highlights of this fall ball weekend include:

• Hosting ACC rival Notre Dame on Saturday at 10 a.m., North Carolina will aim to get back on track after unexpectedly being knocked out of the NCAA tournament by Navy, the 2017 Cinderella team. The Tar Heels gain a two-time U.S. gold medalist in Marie McCool, returning as a senior from her summer with Team USA, while the Irish welcome U.S. under-19 silver medalist Andie Aldave, this year’s top-ranked freshman.

• The reigning champion Maryland continues its fall ball slate, welcoming Virginia and Towson to College Park, Md., on Saturday. The Terps play the Cavaliers at 1 p.m. and the Tigers at 3:30 p.m. Virginia and Towson meet at 2:15 p.m.

• Keio University of Tokyo comes to the states to gain experience against U.S. teams, first against Delaware and Temple in Philadelphia on Saturday, then traveling to Baltimore on Sunday to play in Johns Hopkins’ Stick It To Sarcoma Play Day. The Blue Jays' event begins at 9 a.m. and also features Rutgers, Villanova and William & Mary.

Friday, Oct. 6

Hill Academy at Albany, 7 p.m.
Loyola Alumni Game, 7 p.m.
Lehigh Alumni Game, 8 p.m.
VMI at Lynchburg, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 7

Navy Alumni Game, 9 a.m.
Regis at Denver, 12 p.m.
Indianapolis at Marquette, 9 a.m.
George Washington at Mount St. Mary’s, 10 a.m.
Bucknell/La Salle/Marist/Monmouth at Drexel