HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Albany had never won an NCAA tournament quarterfinal entering this year.

Believing it would happen eventually — and Saturday, in particular — was never a problem for the Great Danes.

In a matchup heralded for its pairing of two stellar faceoff aces, Albany’s depth made the greatest difference. Sean Eccles, Kyle McClancy, Tehoka Nanticoke and Jakob Patterson each scored three goals, while Connor Fields added three assists in a 15-13 defeat of Denver.

“Our guys had no doubt in their minds that we were going to come out with a victory today,” Marr said.

The second-seeded Great Danes (16-2) will meet third-seeded Yale (15-3) in Saturday’s semifinals in Foxborough, Mass., ensuring a first-time finalist advances to Memorial Day.

Colton Jackson scored four goals for the unseeded Pioneers (13-4), who were seeking their fifth semifinal appearance in the last six years.

“It seemed like every time we got close, they’d answer with a goal or two,” Pioneers coach Bill Tierney said.

Albany has now defeated the @NCAALAX champs from 2015 (Denver), 2016 (UNC) and 2017 (Maryland) within the last 13 months. This team is aiming for more than an just an invitation to the final weekend of the season.
 https://t.co/ANCbjkt0cZ pic.twitter.com/4FlTAwUmd8

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) May 20, 2018

While there wasn’t an inevitability to Albany surviving a quarterfinal, there was surely a feeling it was overdue. Marr had produced a couple national players of the year, plenty of pros, even more victories and a ton of goals over 18 seasons.

But there were some stinging defeats in May. The Great Danes lost overtime decisions to Cornell (2007) and Notre Dame (2014), the latter an especially excruciating loss since the Fighting Irish rallied from down five goals in the final nine minutes. Albany led entering the fourth quarter of a quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame the next year and was blasted by Maryland in last season’s quarters.

So while the generally ebullient vibe of Marr’s program ensured there would be raucous celebration when the Great Danes spilled onto the field after the final horn, there was a little added meaning for this group.

“Just to get over this hump means a lot to our university,” Fields said. “It comes back to our alumni, too. They all worked hard and they were here supporting us today, so I think it’s a very exciting feeling for everyone.”

From a technical standpoint, the faceoff matchup between Denver’s Trevor Baptiste and Albany’s TD Ierlan lived up to expectations. Ierlan’s strong start helped stake the Great Danes to a 3-0 lead. Baptiste scored a goal in what proved to be his final college game.

Ierlan set the NCAA single-season record for faceoff wins with 341, passing Brendan Fowler’s 339-win season for Duke in 2013. Baptiste padded his career win record, wrapping up his time with the Pioneers with 1,158.

On this afternoon, both won 15 draws, and neither faceoff wins nor possession time dictated the outcome.

“I had to make some adjustments early  I think I lost the first few,” Baptiste said. “Then I think he did a good job of making adjustments to my adjustments that I was making on him. From an X standpoint, I think it was two guys who have taken a lot of faceoffs and have a lot of experience and have faced off at a high level.”

While Denver could at least match Ierlan, it simply didn’t have a way to contain the Great Danes’ scoring. Colin Squires helped bottle up Fields, who shot 0-for-6, but Albany’s other five offensive starters each delivered multiple goals.

Denver went in with the hope of limiting McClancy. Attackman Justin Reh punished the Pioneers with two goals and two assists. When Denver tried to account for Reh, problems emerged elsewhere.

“It seemed like they had so many options,” Denver defenseman Dylan Gaines said. “We were trying to stop one, and then the other would just open up. Colin Squires did an unbelievable job on their best player, and even with him doing that job, we still had a lot of trouble stopping all their guys because it seems like everyone can light it up and put it in the back of the net.”

Denver managed to hang around, once taking a brief lead in the first half. Jackson’s last goal brought them within 12-11, but Patterson’s man-up goal with 6:14 to go provided a response before the Pioneers again had the ball in their offensive end.

Albany won the next faceoff and bided its time, drawing a stall warning before it called a timeout. McClancy then charged from behind the cage for another insurance goal, exactly the sort of go-for-it approach the Great Danes exemplify.

“There was no reason for us sit back right there,” Marr said. “There was 16 seconds left on that shot clock and we needed a play out of Kyle. I believe Kyle is the best midfielder in the country — a two-way midfielder who actually plays defense and offense and wings on the faceoff.”

While Albany moves on to new territory, Denver must ponder life without its central on-field figure from the last four years. Baptiste helped the Pioneers win a national title as a freshman, then spent three more years as one of the surest things in the sport.

“Sometimes along the way, the student teaches the master,” Tierney said. “Trevor’s done that for me. He’s allowed us to do the things we want to do in the way we do them, and knowing he was always there for us and always fighting. You talk about being able to coach the best in the history of a game that’s over 100 years old, that’s something you don’t really appreciate along the way until it’s over. I don’t know how other coaches must have felt going into our games, but I’ll find out next year.”

As four Great Danes ambled into the press conference afterward, they joked around with each other and exclaimed “hello” with a bit of wonder before taking their seats.

Hello, indeed.

Albany is the third program to make its semifinal debut this decade, joining Denver (2011) and Ohio State (2017). Its free-wheeling, creative style will surely deliver a welcome infusion of energy into championship weekend.

But this is hardly a fluke. Marr noted the Great Danes have now defeated the national champions from 2015 (Denver), 2016 (North Carolina) and 2017 (Maryland) within the last 13 months. Albany ended North Carolina’s title defense in last year’s first round, and rallied to win at Maryland earlier this season.

In other words, this team is aiming for more than an invitation to the final weekend of the season.

“They believe in each other and believe in themselves,” Marr said. “It’s definitely a great feeling to break through and make this appearance, but we just said in the locker room we’re halfway there.”