DAYTON, Ohio — When Lisa Rodgers was a Butler High girls soccer freshman, she filled in for an injured veteran goalie.

That team reached the state championship game.

In 2009, Rodgers was slated to be the starter at the University of Dayton, but she suffered a severe knee injury in the first game — and was replaced by a freshman.

With Katherine Boone in net, Dayton reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“That was very frustrating,” Rodgers said of her injury. “I had waited for my turn to start and it got taken away. But it's a team sport. I cheered for my team. It's all I could do.

“I figured I just had to wait a little longer.”

The wait proved to be worth it.

Rodgers won the starting job back from Boone and posted a 15-1-1 record with 12 shutouts. She allowed only nine goals, made 63 saves and posted a 0.52 goals against average this season.

Those numbers netted her first-team, All-Atlantic 10 honors.

“Lisa had a remarkable season and a remarkable career,” Dayton goalkeeper coach Sergio Gonzalez said. “Her injury didn't require surgery, but she went through some extensive rehab.”

Rodgers came back toward the end of last season and saw limited action.

“Her knee was only at 70 or 80 percent,” Gonzalez said. “But off the field, she was a tremendous mentor to Katherine and our other younger players.

“Lisa had plenty to do with the success of that team.”

She had even more to do with the success of this one.

The Flyers put together a 19-3-1 overall record, won the Atlantic 10 championship and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament again, losing to Ohio State 1-0 on penalty kicks.

“This was my senior year and I was so anxious to play,” Rodgers said. “I did everything in my power to make sure I was ready.

“We only lost two key players from the previous year and our entire back line was coming back. We expected to do well and I wanted to be a part of that,” she added.

Gonzalez worked with Rodgers when she was a youth player for Northern Steel. He was an assistant coach at Slippery Rock University at the time.

All told, Gonzalez worked with Rodgers for nine years.

“That was very helpful to me, especially when I first went to Dayton,” Rodgers said. “Going away to school already knowing one of the coaches there helped my comfort zone.”

Rodgers allowed no goals in regular play in either of the Flyers' two playoff games — a 3-0 win over Virginia Tech and the penalty-kick loss to Ohio State.

Carrying a 3.5 grade point average as a physical therapy major, Rodgers is scheduled to graduate in the spring. She plans to attend graduate school next year.

“Lisa had explosive movements in the net,” Gonzalez said. “You don't substitute for your goalkeeper very often, so she knew she had to win her job back.

“As strong as she was in goal, her character and hard work is what we'll remember most around here.”

Rodgers has been a goalkeeper since age 12.

“I was one of the few kids willing to put myself in front of the ball,” she said. “I had a lot of fun doing this.”