In January, Sporting KC selected Jamil Roberts in the third round of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft with the 77th overall selection.
The 22-year-old senior capped off his college career on Monday in dramatic fashion, scoring the game-winning goal in sudden death overtime to lift Marshall University to a 1-0 victory over Indiana in the NCAA College Cup national championship match at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
Roberts' golden goal delivered the school's first national championship in nearly 25 years and the Thundering Herd became the first Conference USA member team to win a national championship in any sport. Making just the program's second appearance in an NCAA tournament, Marshall's Cinderella run to the national title also marked the first time an unseeded team had lifted the trophy since 2006.
A native of Langport, England, Roberts was named College Cup's Offensive Most Outstanding Player with game-winning goals in upsets over reigning national champions Georgetown in the quarterfinals, two-time champions North Carolina in the semifinals and eight-time champions Indiana in the final.
In doing so, Roberts became the first player to score game-winning goals in an NCAA semifinal and final since Graham Zusi did so for Maryland in the 2008 College Cup before being drafted 23rd overall in the second round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by Sporting.
Roberts also goes into the Marshall record books with the second most assists (20) and sixth most goals (19) in school history.
"This is the best way to finish this incredible season. I've got to keep this momentum going once I join up with Sporting," Roberts said postgame. "It was a mutual decision between myself, the staff at Marshall and the staff at Sporting. We agreed that I would be in a lot better shape if I remained in Huntington and brought a national championship home. To bring that bit of joy in such a difficult year back to Huntington, to put a smile on their face - that makes it all worth it for me."
