HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Trevor Baptiste gave his Tewaaraton case another boost Saturday. More importantly, he propelled Denver back to Memorial Day weekend after a one-year hiatus.

Baptiste won 21 of 22 faceoffs and Austin French scored four goals as fifth-seeded Denver shredded fourth-seeded Notre Dame 16-4 in an NCAA quarterfinal at Shuart Stadium to secure the Pioneers a place in the semifinals for the fifth time in seven years.

“It just gives our team all the confidence in the world when Trevor’s winning like that,” French said. “When the ball’s on our end of the field for those long time periods, I think it allows our offense to get on a roll and we can control the game.”

Ethan Walker had three goals and three assists and Tyler Pace added three goals for Denver (13-3), which will meet either top-seeded Maryland or eighth-seeded Albany next Saturday in Foxborough, Mass.

Mikey Wynne scored three goals for the Fighting Irish (9-6), who absorbed their most lopsided loss since a 21-5 setback against Loyola in the 1997 NCAA tournament.

“We just laid an egg,” Notre Dame coach Kevin Corrigan said.

It might not have mattered much had the Irish played even a decent game. After losing the opening faceoff, Baptiste was unstoppable, securing swaths of possession as Denver didn’t have to worry about playing much defense.

As dominant as Baptiste was, a pair of numbers was equally compelling in explaining the biggest rout in an NCAA quarterfinal since Virginia hammered Georgetown 20-8 in 2006.

Denver scored 16 goals. Notre Dame took 16 shots.

“We played the perfect game today,” Denver coach Bill Tierney said.

And, as he soon noted, having the best faceoff man in the game helps reinforce any strength. Baptiste has won 20 faceoffs in six of his last nine outings, and his 13 ground balls bumped his career total to 475. That’s No. 5 all-time in NCAA history.

Remember, the Tewaaraton finalist is a junior. That means he’ll have a chance to replicate an incredible spring that includes a 75.7 faceoff percentage and 12 goals, the latest scored in the fourth quarter Saturday.

By that point, the Pioneers were long since assured of victory. They led 8-1 at the half and 13-2 after three quarters. After each goal, it was almost assured Denver wouldn’t wait long to get another shot at the Notre Dame defense.

“I thought the wing play was amazing — 21 for 23 is not a one-man thing,” Baptiste said. “It’s a three-man every time, 10-man job sometimes, seven-man job other times.”

There wasn’t much for Notre Dame to take away while sifting through the wreckage of the drubbing. Things truly began to get away from the Irish in the middle of the second quarter when Denver got a Connor Cannizzaro goal, a faceoff win (naturally) and then a slashing penalty on Notre Dame seconds later. French then cashed in the extra-man chance to make it 6-1.

PHOTO BY GREG SHEMITZ

Notre Dame ended the season on a 1-3 slide.

“Possessions are one thing, but the rest of the game? Epic fail on our part,” Corrigan said. “I don’t know what to say. I love our guys. I love our team. We have great kids. We had a great week of practice. I thought we were prepared to play well. It’s hard to do an autopsy five minutes after that kind of a complete butt-whipping, but I don’t know what to tell you. I can’t think of a single area of the game where we played well.”

It was the first time since 2002 — the last time Notre Dame endured a losing season — the Irish endured a loss by a double-digit margin.

“I can’t remember a game in the last decade that we didn’t have a chance to win in the fourth quarter,” Corrigan said. “That was new territory for a lot of us out there.”

For Denver, it was a lift for a defense facing some external scrutiny. The Pioneers yielded at least 10 goals in their last two games, including a Big East tournament loss to Marquette. Saturday, Denver allowed its fewest goals ever in a postseason game, silencing Notre Dame for more than 37 minutes during one stretch.

“Those guys have a lot to live up to,” Tierney said. “Our guys read what’s out there. I think they had a little chip on their shoulder today about how the defense wasn’t very good.”

Denver has grown accustomed to tight games with Notre Dame; four in a row were decided by a goal, and five of the last seven have gone to overtime. That includes a 2015 semifinal classic that saw Sergio Perkovic will the Fighting Irish into extra time before Denver sealed the victory to set up its first national title two days later.

On Saturday, a still-ailing Perkovic managed a goal and an assist in his final career game. And while the Denver defense shut down the Irish’s knowns (Ryder Garnsey, another injured Notre Dame star, had only an assist), the Pioneers were shooting 50 percent until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

Toss in a strong day even by Baptiste’s stellar standards, and it hinted Denver might be far from finished this season. At the very least, Tierney didn’t hesitate when asked if it was his team’s most complete outing in 2017.

“By far,” Tierney said. “By far.”