Albany

University at Albany’s TD Ierlan and Denver’s Trevor Baptiste went one-on-one last summer, but in a much friendlier manner than it will be when college lacrosse’s most dominant faceoff specialists meet in an NCAA quarterfinal at Hofstra on Saturday.

They were both in Vail, Colo., for tournaments and had a chance to chat. Ierlan said they didn’t exchange faceoff tips.

“I think we were both talking about how we couldn’t breathe because there’s so much elevation there and he plays in Denver, so I thought that was funny,’’ Ierlan said. “No, we weren’t really comparing notes or anything. I think we said it’d be cool sometime down the line if we’d get to go against each other, and it’s here now.”

Indeed it is with the second-seeded Great Danes (15-2) taking on the unseeded Pioneers (13-3) with a trip to championship weekend at stake.

Both Ierlan and Baptiste are historically good. Ierlan, a sophomore, leads the nation with an .834 winning percentage and has all but clinched breaking the Division I single-season record of .776 set by Towson’s Mark Goers in 1994.

Baptiste, a senior, sits in second place at .765 this season with a lifetime winning percentage of .718, which threatens the NCAA career record of .707 established by Delaware’s Steve Shaw from 1983 to 1986.

Talk about a showdown. But Ierlan said he’s not taking it too personally.

“He was a really nice kid,’’ Ierlan said. “Really respectful to me, a really cool guy. It was nice to be able to talk to him for a little bit and just get to know him as a person. There’s no reason to hate each other or be mad. I respect what he does, he respects what I do and he was a really nice kid and it was good to get to know him.”

UAlbany coach Scott Marr was quick to try to deflate the hype of one of this NCAA Tournament’s most intriguing individual matchups.

He pointed out Ierlan won 19 of 21 faceoffs against Maryland-Baltimore County on April 6, and yet the Great Danes still lost that game 11-7.

“It’s Denver vs. Albany, OK, first and foremost,’’ Marr said. “This is not going to be about Trevor Baptiste and TD Ierlan, OK? They’re part of the game … I’ve lost 75 percent of faceoffs and won (the match). It’s just part of the game. I’m not going to make it out to be the be-all and end-all of the game. It’s going to be a great matchup, two of the best out there, no doubt, it’ll be fun, but it’s not a one-on-one game. It’s a team game.”

There’s a big difference physically between Ierlan, who is listed at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, and Baptiste, who is much broader at 5-10 and 230.

The only faceoff matchup Ierlan lost this year was against Yale’s Conor Mackie, who outweighed him by 35 pounds.

“(Baptiste) is just really strong,’’ Ierlan said. “I went against a lot of other strong guys … You don’t really know until you get out there and you’ve just got to be confident in yourself and your team.”

Specifically, Ierlan will rely on help from his wings such as seniors Troy Reh and Kyle McClancy, who will be much more than the closest spectators to a great faceoff duel.

“I think it’s more of a unit thing,” Reh said. “It’s not really a one-on-one matchup. They’re both amazing faceoff guys, but at the end of the day, it’s about the guys on the wing. The wing guys have to do a great job helping TD. Trevor’s obviously one of the best faceoff kids in the country, one of the best to play. TD’s right up there with him.”

UAlbany senior attack Connor Fields said he thinks Ierlan actually doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. He said Ierlan, who has set a Division I record with 240 ground balls this season, should have been one of the five finalists for the Tewaaraton Award.

“In my opinion, TD’s definitely one of the top five players in the country,’’ Fields said. “He’s been tremendous for us this season. I don’t think we’d be where we are today without him.”

Note: Fields (right knee) didn't practice Monday but said he felt good after Saturday's first-round win over Richmond. He was just resting. He plans to practice on Tuesday or Wednesday.



msingelais@timesunion.com ■ 518-454-5509 ■ @MarkSingelais