FOXBOROUGH, MASS. — Don’t let the name fool you — Chris Fake is no phony.

The freshman defender burst onto the scene with Yale, becoming their shutdown close defenseman almost as soon as he stepped on campus, and it’s been with good reason.

Fake was a big part of holding Albany’s offense to under 10 goals in Saturday’s NCAA semifinal at Gillette Stadim, as the Bulldogs advanced to their first Division I championship against Duke.

On Monday, the first-year player will have a new challenge — taking on Justin Guterding.

In the win over the Great Danes, the second team All-American defenseman rotated throughout the defense, including matching up with Connor Fields.

“[Fields] wasn't matched on Chris the entire time, and that wasn't — it's not like we switched the matchup, it was kind of by happenstance,” said Yale coach Andy Shay. “But we were prepared to look at Chris on [Tehoka Nanticoke], Jerry on [Fields], [Chris] Keating on either of them, Aidan Hynes, Will Weitzel, Robert Mooney. I think that any way we stacked it, we were okay because we were going to kind of play a little bit of pressure and get on their hands.”

The identity of the Bulldogs has been centered on their offense, led by Ben Reeves and a supporting cast that includes Matt Gaudet (six goals Saturday) and Jackson Morrill (three goals, five assists) in one of the deepest groups in the nation.

But, maybe not so quietly anymore, the Fake-led defense is what’s propelled the Bulldogs ahead, even with a 20-goal showing against Albany.

The depth of the Bulldogs defense makes it tough to play against, even for an offense as dynamic as Albany. In two outings against the Danes, Yale’s defense, led in part by its strong riding game, held Albany at bay.

The second time out, Fields was in the game much longer, but the defense didn’t get Albany much space to shoot, forcing Fields and others to make drastic moves to get good shots on net.

“We could put Chris Fake on him, we could put Chris Fake on one,” Shay said. “We went as deep as to discuss some of our long sticks on those guys. We just felt like if we could do that, then we could up the tempo, we wouldn't have to use one guy the whole time, and Chris Fake is an athletic kid and he's a powerful kid and he can chase guys. That's kind of what we were thinking.”

Duke is a different story. The Bulldogs haven’t faced the Blue Devils since 2009, so there’s no familiarity like there was with Albany.

The entire Duke offense is different, and the faces are different, meaning it could be Fake’s toughest test to date.

Having the veteran group around Fake, along with practicing against Tewaaraton finalist Ben Reeves, has helped his trajectory.

Preparing for the Blue Devils, having a player like Reeves, the Bulldogs’ offensive counter to Guterding, will go a long way.

“When you can come in and a guy like Ben Reeves gives you respect for being a cover guy, I think that goes a long way,” Shay said. “And Chris has, you know, he really has no ego about him. He just wants to be the best player that he can be for our program. These guys do a great job of pushing him and pulling him along, and being the guy they need him to be.”

After the Bulldogs blew out Albany in April, expectations were for a far closer game on Saturday. But on Monday, it’s hard to have expectations for two programs with no experience against each other.

One thing is for certain — Yale, and the freshman leading the defense, is no Fake.