Star goalie Erin McKinney becomes first from Rockford area to make pro debut in NWSL

Erin McKinney, the former Belvidere North star goalie who earned her way into the National Women's Soccer League, got her shot earlier this month and made her professional debut.

She became the first Rockford-area player to start a game in the NWSL , getting the starting nod and playing the entire game in goal for the Houston Dash against the Kansas City Current on July 20. The Current has the leading offense in the NWSL, and they pounded shots at McKinney all day long, eventually securing a 3-1 win.

But it was a start for McKinney.

"It was a crazy atmosphere in their stadium, and they know how to do it right," said McKinney, 24, who was a collegiate star for the University of Akron and Wisconsin. "And then they have the best offense in the league, and they got one (a goal) on me like 56 seconds in. That was tough."

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The Dash tied the game up and McKinney had multiple saves that kept Houston in it down the stretch. But the team was depleted with four starters out due to COVID-19, and they eventually succumbed.

"We gave it a good fight," McKinney said. "And we came back on them. But that was it."

The Dash's other goalkeeper on the roster, Heather Hinz, started and went the distance in the team's only game since then — a 2-1 win this past Sunday. And now Hinz is expected to get the nod in Houston's friendly against a team out of Mexico, C.F. Pachuca Femenil, on Thursday.

Both of them will then go back to the bench upon the return of Jane Campbell from the U.S. Olympic team after that. Campbell has been the backup goalie this Olympics for the U.S. Women's National Team.

"Obviously I didn't want to give up three goals in my debut," McKinney said. "But I made some saves, and we hung in there. That definitely makes me want to push even harder to get back in there."

McKinney is on her third team in the NWSL. League play will resume on Aug. 28 with all the Olympic players back. Houston is currently in 12th place in the 14-team league with a 3-8-5 record.

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 .

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