By Ryan Makuch

AFC Ann Arbor are pleased to announce the signing of Kendall Robertson ahead of the 2022 USL W League season. Robertson is the first goalkeeper to be announced and will spend her first season with The Mighty Oak here in 2022 in her home state of Michigan.

Most recently, Robertson opened her collegiate account at Grand Valley State for an outstanding Lakers team. The Lakers earned the NCAA Championship for Division II and Robertson was in net for all 101 minutes of the final, as well as playing in all but 12 minutes of the NCAA Tournament run, earning four clean sheets in the six-match run.

GVSU would finish 24-1-2 in Robertson’s inaugural collegiate campaign, a season in which Robertson made 18 appearances. Over just under 1,500 minutes in net Robertson conceded just six goals for a goals-against-average of 0.37 for her freshman season. Robertson opened her career with a 559:33 minute shutout streak, and would also make a total of 27 saves over the course of the season.

On joining The Mighty Oak, Robertson said, “I decided to play for AFC Ann Arbor this summer because I want to play for a team who values professionalism and has a competitive training environment. I value these two things so that I can better myself as a person and a player.”

Prior to the start of her college career, the Jackson, Michigan, native attended Western High School and set a school record for most shutouts in a single season with 15 in 2019. She earned second-team all-state honors that season while making 118 saves and logging a 0.42 goals-against-average.

Robertson’s club career has also been full of accolades, as the Michigan Rush alum was captain of her team from 2014-20 and she was a part of the Rush National Select U17 side that took part in the Youth World Cup in Sweden.

The Rush connection would come in handy for Women’s Head Coach Boyzzz Khumalo, who noted, “Kendall is a player that was recommended to me by Marco [Bernardini, member of the 2018 iteration of The Mighty Oak] who is a coach at Jackson Rush.” Khumalo would add, “[GVSU] just won a championship and I’m looking forward to working with her. Looking at her career, she’s someone who has won things throughout it, and she’s going to give that experience to our teams.”

The newest addition to the AFCAA Family is a positive-minded individual that is dedicated to improving, as she noted when discussing the jump in difficulty from youth to collegiate soccer. Robertson would say, “Making the jump up to collegiate soccer, I learned that not everything is going to go exactly as planned. The important part is how you respond to what happens. I found that the best way to respond is to put your head down and get to work. Doing what others will not do, leads to being what others can not be.”

In addition to the positive mindset about herself, Khumalo was also impressed with what he noted from Robertson on the pitch. “She’s someone who is very vocal as a goalkeeper, and you need that as a goalkeeper – someone who’s gonna be talking, someone who’s always organizing the back four, someone who’s going to be there to communicate and be a leader from the back,” Khumalo said.

“My goals for this coming summer season are to continue learning my craft and growing my skills in order to fulfill my full potential,” Robertson would say when about season hopes and expectations. She also would note the importance of the AFCAA Family’s vibe and club atmosphere adding to her desires, “Creating meaningful and lasting relationships with teammates and coaches. And of course, to WIN!”

We, once again, welcome Kendall Robertson to AFC Ann Arbor, and we look forward to welcoming her home this summer.