Former Belvidere North star Erin McKinney awaits shot at first pro start in goal

Former Belvidere North goalie Erin McKinney has been on a whirlwind of a ride since the beginning of this year, thanks to the National Women's Soccer League — and her skills as a goalie.

Now McKinney, 24, who was a a collegiate star as the goaltender for the University of Akron and Wisconsin, is playing for the Houston Dash, already her third team in the NWSL, and she is anxiously awaiting her shot at a starting spot in goal. She's currently behind one of the country's best and brightest star goalies, Jane Campbell, who is expected to soon depart for the U.S. Olympic team.

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That just may open the door for McKinney to get her first real-game action as a pro.

"I've been kind of taking baby steps, but you never know, that could be my chance," McKinney said. "I wanted to make sure I was ready, and well, maybe we're about to find out."

Her road to the pros

After making the Rockford Register Star's All Star Preps Girls Soccer Team in 2017, McKinney started and was a star for Akron in her one and only season in the Mid-American Conference. She hit the transfer portal and found a home at the University of Wisconsin, where she waited her turn, and then starred for two seasons.

At just 5-foor-5, there were doubters. But she proved them wrong, one after another.

After her senior year she was the Big Ten Conference Goalkeeper of the Week three times and was named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team. She allowed only 0.68 goals per game, third best in the Big Ten, with a save percentage of 0.805, fourth best in the Big Ten.

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She finished the season with 10 shutouts, third best in the Big Ten, and she finished her career with 17 shutouts in 41 matches played.

And, she had turned into a pro prospect.

After going undrafted in the NWSL, however, the Chicago Red Stars picked up her rights, and that's where she spent the preseason earlier this year.

Windy path in the NWSL

"I kind of had that decision before going into the draft: if I didn't get picked, did I want to go overseas and get some of that experience they are looking for in the NWSL, or did I want to battle for time here," McKinney said. "There's still time to go play somewhere else if I decide, but right now, this was the right path...I've been like a sponge."

This past January, she found herself in Chicago, but she joined N.J./N.Y. Gotham FC as a season-ending injury replacement player in March. Alyssa Naeher, the No. 1 goalkeeper on the U.S.A. Women's Soccer Team, was sidelined with a thigh injury, and McKinney stepped in as a backup.

When that stint ended, Houston picked her up in early May, and she's been backing up Campbell since. Campbell was crowned the 2023 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, and she's expected to be right behind Naeher on the USA roster.

That's when McKinney may get her shot.

Could her moment be coming soon?

"This league is all about timing, so we'll see," McKinney said of the opportunity. "It's been a crazy ride already, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

McKinney and Houston will be traveling to meet Chicago on July 6. They play their home games inside SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.

The U.S. Olympic team has a friendly on July 16, which is when most of the USA team members will leave their other worlds behind for a couple of weeks.

"I've been waiting for this moment my entire life," McKinney said of her time in the NWSL, "and I know I have to make the most of it."

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Erin McKinney, former Belvidere North goalie, earns her shot in NWSL