After coming up short in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship game each of the last two years, the University of Delaware men’s soccer team was not going to let that heartbreak happen again.

They made sure of it Sunday afternoon.

After falling behind William and Mary by a 1-0 score early, the No. 2 seed Blue Hens tied the score almost immediately and then used a go-ahead goal by senior Jaime Martinez with 17:18 left in the first half on the way to the 2-1 championship game triumph at Hofstra University Soccer Stadium.

The Blue Hens, who lost to host Hofstra 2-0 in last year's title game and suffered a 1-0 setback to James Madison on their Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium home turf in the 2014 championship match, reached the CAA pinnacle for the first time since 2011.

"I am thrilled for this group," said 11th-year head coach Ian Hennessy. "They are a terrific bunch of people and they have given so much to the school. Overall they have had another terrific season and I particularly delighted that this talented senior class gets to lead the group to another NCAA appearance. It's been a great weekend for the UD family."

UD now heads to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in school history and for the first time since earning an at-large berth in 2012. The Blue Hens will travel to Rhode Island to take on Providence in the first round. (See the bracket.)

The Blue Hens, who struggled down the stretch during the regular season and won only once during their final four games, found the right magic at the CAA tournament as they knocked off No. 6 seed College of Charleston 2-1 on Friday night before downing the No. 5 seed Tribe Sunday. William and Mary had advanced thanks to a 3-1 upset win over top seed and defending champion Hofstra Friday night.

UD, which defeated William and Mary 2-1 in overtime during the regular season, improved to 12-7-1 on the season. William and Mary closed out their season with a mark of 12-7-2.

The Blue Hens held a slim 12-9 advantage in shots with goalkeeper Todd Morton posting four saves to earn the win. The Tribe was able to hold UD All-American and two-time CAA player of the year Guillermo Delgado to just a single shot on goal.

"I've been waiting," said Delgado, who led the Hens with 12 goals this season and set the UD career goals and points scored records late in the season. "I've been here three times (in the final) and another time in the semifinal. I've been working hard. I think this is the best feeling I could have playing college soccer."

Delgado shared co-captain duties this season with seniors Ben Sampson and Thibault Phillippe.

The Tribe struck first just 17:13 into the game when Reilly Maw scored his seventh goal of the season after taking a pass from Remi Frost and lofting his shot over Morton's head for 1-0 lead.

But that advantage didn't last long as just over two minutes later the Hens got a big break when a Tribe defender misplayed a header and knocked the ball into his own net, giving Delaware an own goal and knotting the score at 1-1.

It didn't take much longer to net the go-ahead goals as Martinez took a crossing pass and left side and headed the ball into the corner of the net. Carlos Perales and Marco Siverio were credited with the assists.

Neither team scored again despite each getting off six shots each in the second half.

The Tribe did get three of their shots in the final 15 minutes but one was blocked, the other was high, and Morton saved the final one with 11:31 left to play.

UD senior defender Thomas de Villardi was named the CAA tournament most outstanding performer and was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Delgado, Robert Gillin and John Schroeder.

The rest of the team included Antonio Bustamante, Maw and Riley Spain of William and Mary; Nino Alfonso and Joseph Holland of Hofstra; and Leland Archer and Avery Ryan of the College of Charleston.