When Michelle Betos was a kid in Queens, New York, she recalls following a friend to a youth soccer game. At the game, someone asked, "Who wants to go in goal?"

She raised her hand.

There wasn't a lot of running around, Betos reasoned. She was able to use some of her basketball skills, and even better, goalkeeper shorts had pockets, which is a great place to keep your Skittles during a game.

"I was a kid. Kids eat candy and even when my parents tried to liming the intake, my grandma gave me Skittles," Betos said recently.

"So, there's 21 other players chasing the ball and I'm just in goal having Skittles."

Fast-forward to 2015, and Betos is the starting goalkeeper for the Portland Thorns (2-3-4, 10 points), who are preparing to take on Sky Blue FC (1-5-4, 7 points) of Piscataway, New Jersey on Friday at Providence Park. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Betos moved into the lineup when starter Nadine Angerer headed to the Women's World Cup as goalkeeper and captain for Germany. She'll return soon, after her team takes on England in the third-place match on Saturday.

But, in the meantime, Betos has made the most of her time as the go-to goalkeeper.

She stopped a penalty kick to preserve a scoreless draw at the Houston Dash on June 6.

And she scored -- yes, a goalkeeper scored -- to give Portland a 1-1 draw against FC Kansas City at Providence Park in the Thorns' last game, on June 19.

In a sequence that could have been lifted from a movie script, that goal came when she headed in an Allie Long corner kick at the death, and Betos was all over ESPN highlights within hours.

So, she's preserved points for the Thorns, but also has made mistakes that cost the team points.

In a game at the Washington Spirit, with the scored tied 1-1 in the first half, Betos misplayed a ball sent back to her. The ball came to her feet, and she pushed it a little too strong. Washington's Crystal Dunn swooped in and converted, beating Betos one-on-one.

"I took a big touch, and I wasn't aware of where she was," Betos said.

"I'm thinking 'I have to (make a) play, I have to (make a) play,' and I make an error," Betos said. "At the end of the day, I know better than that."

Betos said she's not afraid of mistakes. She has developed the mental toughness it takes to finish a game without falling apart after a miscue. She gives herself about 24 hours to go over the errors, but she's learned how to move on.

"It's part of the position," she said. "Five years ago, I don't know if I could have done that.

"I make one mistake, it's going to show on the scoreboard. I'm dealing with it. I hate the effect that it had on the team."

Thorns coach Paul Riley, who has known Betos since she was a teenager and coached her in the early days, said he's seen that maturity develop as her playing skills have improved along the same arc.

"She didn't have good feet," when she was younger, Riley said. "She couldn't clear balls and couldn't hit goal kicks.

"She's improved on the kicking game, she's improved on crosses," he added. "I don't think there's one aspect of the game she hasn't improved. You've got to give her credit."

Riley has tracked Betos' career as a professional as well, from when she was No. 3 with the Boston Breakers in the Women's Professional League to No. 2 (behind U.S. Women's National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo) with the Seattle Reign to now in Portland.

He said Betos came to Portland because "she's able to be a leader."

Angerer has said she plans on retiring after this season, and Riley said he expects Betos to anchor the defense as a starter full-time next year.

"There's no question. I see her as being No. 1 down the road," Riley said. "She's gone through a lot of ups and downs, but the best part is that little girl from Queens has made it."

-- Molly Blue