SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University men's soccer captain and senior standout Jeremy Deighton signed a professional contract Saturday to play for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the U.S. Soccer League Second Division for the upcoming season.

Deighton, who capped his collegiate playing career last fall and will graduate in May, signed a one-year contract for the 2010 season, after which the Riverhounds will have a 30-day period to resign Deighton for future seasons.

The Riverhounds play in the six-team USL Second Division and play 20 games in the regular season, which runs from mid-April to mid-August. The USL Second Division is the third-ranked professional soccer league in the United States, behind Major League Soccer and the USL First Division.

Deighton spent the last three weeks on a tryout with the Riverhounds, playing in four preseason games against local colleges. In his four games, including a 6-0 victory over Slippery Rock, he scored five goals and had one assist to lead the team to a 4-0 record.

The 6-foot-1, 175 pound forward from Broadview Heights, Ohio capped his collegiate career this fall by leading SRU to its best season in school history. The Rock finished with an 18-4-1 record and won its fifth Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title. Slippery Rock advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, thanks to a magical performance from Deighton in the opening round, when he scored all three goals in a 3-2 double-overtime win over Mercyhurst.

Deighton led the PSAC and the Atlantic Region in scoring, netting 21 goals and adding seven assists for 49 points. He also led the league and the region in game-winning goals with nine and hat tricks with two.

He was named to first team All-America honors, along with first team All-Region and All-PSAC honors as well. He repeated as the PSAC-West Player of the Year and was then named the Atlantic Region Player of the Year.

Academically, Deighton was named to first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors and third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America accolades. He was also named to first team Scholar All-America honors by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. His final honor of the fall semester came when he was named to the PSAC Fall Top 10 for the first time in his career.

Deighton will graduate with honors and a degree in marketing this May.

The Riverhounds will open the 2010 season at the Real Maryland Monarchs April 17. A complete schedule for the season and more information about the team and the USL Second Division can be found on the Riverhounds official Web site at www.Riverhounds.com.