Emergency starter Hailey Rooney made 12 saves while playing goalie for just the second time ever in her lacrosse career, leading the Canisius women’s lacrosse team to a 10-9 overtime victory at home against Quinnipiac on Saturday.
Rooney’s performance included four free-position saves and a stop in overtime on a streaking Emily Feeney.
Caroline Netti scored the game-winning goal with 38 seconds left in overtime as the Golden Griffins improved to 9-4 (4-2 MAAC)
Hailey Rooney.
— Canisius Women's Lacrosse (@CanisiusWLAX) April 16, 2022
First game playing goalie.#Griffs | #NCAALax pic.twitter.com/0puQvi12Lb
While Canisius tweeted that it was Rooney’s first-ever game between the pipes, Rooney, a freshman midfielder from Spencerport, N.Y., told 716 Sports Podcast she did play the position once as a sophomore in high school.
Shannon Maroney, the only true goalie on the roster, got hurt last week late in the first quarter of a 19-14 loss at Monmouth. Attacker Megan Hoffman filled in the rest of the way, making five saves and allowing 15 goals.
Rooney told 716 Sports Podcast that the coaches approached her Monday about starting the game Saturday if Maroney was not ready to go.
“I practiced so much,” she said. “I put in the work to be here today.”
.@CanisiusWLAX A/GK Hailey Rooney after her first ever start in goal. She made 12 saves on 21 shots in the 10-9 victory. pic.twitter.com/h5Xd1e0RNi
— 716 Sports Podcast (@716SportPodcast) April 16, 2022
Rooney made four saves and three each in the second and third quarters. She said the free-position saves on Quinnipiac top guns Desiree Kleberg and Maddie Deegan reassured her.
“That was very exciting,” she said. “I feel like that created the hype for the rest of the team and gave me the confidence to keep me going throughout the game.”
Asked if she might see more time in the net moving forward, Rooney shrugged. “I guess we’ll have to see,” she said.
“I thought the defense played extremely well with Hailey Rooney anchoring us back there,” Canisius coach Russell Allen said. “She was incredible in the cage in her first game ever playing goalie and she did really well. On offense, we capitalized when we needed to and we put it away in overtime.”