April 14, 2003

Former Lehigh men's soccer player Kevin Jackson has signed a contract with the Charleston Battery of the A-League. The 2000 graduate has also played professionally with Hershey in the A-League and the South Jersey Barons of the D3 Pro League, and has spent time with Chicago and New England of the MLS.

The midfielder most recently spent three weeks with the Revolution in Brazil, before being sent to South Carolina to try out for the Battery, one of the A-League's top teams. The contract marks a return to the league after previously playing with the Hershey Wildcats during their 2001 season.

"Kevin is a player who came to us through our contacts with the New England Revolution," Battery head coach Patrick Ramsey said. "He has worked hard all preseason and has shown he is worthy of being added to our squad."

At Lehigh, Jackson scored 19 goals and assisted on a school record 26 others for 63 points. He was a four-time All-Patriot League selection, three time All-Mid Atlantic Region, and the second Lehigh player ever drafted into the MLS when Chicago selected him in the sixth round in 2000. He was also a member of Lehigh's NCAA tournament team as a senior.

"Kevin has continued to pursue the professional game since being drafted by the Chicago Fire," remarked Lehigh head coach Dean Koski. "His experiences the past three years have been great opportunities for him to develop as a professional player. Signing into an organization such as the Battery brings Kevin another step closer to realizing his dream of playing in the MLS. I could not be more happy for him and he is very excited about this opportunity."