Mick Statham has seen so many kids play soccer over the years that you would expect the details to be fuzzy.

Quite to the contrary, the Lafayette College girls' coach remembers watching Avery Jackson play soccer for the first time in vivid detail.

"The field, the tournament, the way she moved the ball down the sideline, even the jersey and number she was wearing" said the coach. "I remember everything about it."

It was love at first site for the awestruck Lafayette girls' team brain-trust. "Early in the game, I was saying to our assistant coach, 'Can you imagine if we could get her?' " recalled Statham. "By the end of the game, I was saying, 'We've got to have her.' "

Two years later, Statham is much more familiar with everything about Jackson's skill set, but no less impressed.

"She's one heckuva kid—a real credit to her parents," said the fifth-year coach. "She's a tremendous soccer player with the perfect temperament for a college locker room. Unquestionably, she's our future captain. We're expecting big things from her."

After her spectacular run at Ramapo High School, where she was a three-year first-team all-county performer and a state champ in 2008, Jackson executed the jump to the Division I collegiate ranks seamlessly. Even as a freshman, she played more minutes than any player for Lafayette, with the exception of their goalkeeper.

Less than halfway through the season, Jackson was switched from midfield to outside back—and that was a game-changer. Jackson went on to be named to the Patriot League All-Conference team, and according to Statham, was nothing short of "the best outside back in the league.

"It was a revelation. She gave us something at outside back we didn't have previously. Her attack from outside back was very good. Avery was obviously more comfortable, and she was instantly fantastic."

Jackson may have made the jump to the collegiate ranks look easy, but to her it was "a really fun season," where the good times started rolling almost immediately.

"It's a much faster game, and every girl plays much more physically than at the high school level," said Jackson, who has worked with a speed and strength coach since she was 14. "But it wasn't long after we first got on the field I was able to gauge that I'd be able to make a contribution this year."

And as for those bursts of speed down the sideline that caught Statham's eye when Avery was a 16-year-old club player, well, they are no less impressive now than they were then.

"We play a Christmas tree formation," said Jackson. "I've always liked to use my speed to make runs down the sideline, so I get involved with our offense every time I have the opportunity."

The keys to Jackson's success, according to Statham, were her smooth transition to being out on her own for the first time, her coachability and her rock-solid frame.

"Avery is always in good spirits—she's the kind of girl you'll never hear anyone say a bad word about. She's very eager to learn, and she arrived here with a college-ready body. At 18, she's got the athletic body of a 21- or 22-year-old," the coach said.

Lafayette went 6-8-2 this past season, but it is clearly a program on the upswing.

"We were a pretty young team this year, but I'm especially pleased with our freshmen and sophomores," said Statham. "We also have another crop of strong freshmen headed this way next year. Our future looks very bright."

Just as Jackson is poised and confident with a soccer ball at her feet, she presents herself just as well in real-life situations.

"There's never any drama with Avery," said Statham. "I call her Even Steven. Watching her play that first time was one thing, but then meeting her afterward and getting a sense of what kind of kid she was—recruiting her was a no-brainer."