Dedicated Stopper Sparks the Booters

Most soccer fullbacks only dream about scoring, but center fullback John Duggan doubles as both Harvard's fourth-leading scorer and the sparkplug to a defensive unit which has allowed just 18 goals in 13 games.

"John's very tough. He goes after his opponents. He won't shy away from any responsibility. He's always psyched and he gets everyone else psyched up too," Crimson teammate Mauro Keller-Sarmiento, who has played with Duggan for three years, says.

Since he was ten years old, Duggan has played soccer all year round--60 or 70 games a year.

Picking up soccer came naturally to Duggan, whose father coached the Norpoint Royals in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington--a city which boasts one of the country's finest youth soccer leagues.

The Pierce County League was not just a Saturday morning let-the-kids-chase-the-ball-around affair. Products of that high-power league include Jeff Stock and Mark Peterson of the Seattle Sounders, Jeff Durgan, the New York Cosmos' 1979 NASL Rookie of the year, and Duggan's Crimson teammate Peter Sergienko.

"We were lucky. We had the same coach and the same group of guys for the whole time. The league was an exception to most leagues and the team was an exception within the league," Duggan said.

The highlight of the Royals' legacy was a silver medal in the 16-and-under United States Championship and a fourth in the North American Championships in Vancouver in 1976. Duggan's personal peak came two years later, when after helping the Washington Select Team to the Western Region Cup, he narrowly missed making the Junior National Team despite a strong showing at the Western Regional Team's Training Camp in Colorado Springs.

With this solid soccer background, Harvard soccer has been a different type of challenge and experience to Duggan.

"It's not the same here. Ivy League rules limit the season to 16 games. No official out of season training...Only four years with the team...It's just not enough," Duggan said.

But regulations can't keep Duggan from soccer. He and his teammates make time to work at the game. Last winter the squad played indoors twice a week from 10 p.m. til midnight at the IAB. This year Duggan hopes to form a regular indoor league limited to JV and varsity team members and selected others to play at the Radcliffe Gym. Then in the spring, more games and skill drills three afternoons a week are planned.

The Leverett House junior hopes to improve what he terms "the second-rate treatment" the soccer team receives. "We have to almost beg them to cut the grass on the day of a game...Yet they're out there with blow dryers on the football field," Duggan added.

Far from a dissatisfied critic, Duggan offers many constructive ideas. He suggests installing lights on the field and charging a dollar admission for Friday night games to pay for the lights.

"Schedule the game for 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., then let people go out and party. It'd be a much better atmosphere, and it would draw a much better crowd, the center fullback said.

Still, the best publicity for a team is winning, and Duggan has been instrumental in the squad's 9-4 record by stopping opposing attackers.

Whether tackling an opponent, winning a headball, or clearing the ball to midfield, Duggan exhibits aggressive play.

"One has to be impressed with John as a soccer player. He knows the game so well...He's strong and disciplined, yet so tenacious when fighting for a loose ball," coach George Ford said. a particular opponent," Keller-Sarmiento "We turn to John when we need to stop added. Duggan's value is not only his ability to stop the opposition's leading scorer on a given day, but his consistent hassling of the dribber and ability to steal the ball.

His knack for being around the ball has showed up on the scoreboard too. Duggan, who boasts the team's hardest shot, has rushed for two goals and three assists so far this season.

Cheating a bit on his personal philosophy of taking one game at a time, Duggan looks forward to the Yale game, a week from Saturday.

"A win against Yale means so much to a season. You just have to beat Yale," he said.

Duggan would also like an Ivy League title for next season. "With the squad losing only one starter [Captain Mike Smith] and gaining the services of Mike Mogollan and Alberto Villar plus a few freshmen, we should be in position to win the title," Duggan said.

Although dedicated to soccer, John's interests continue to broaden. The Economics concentrator plans to study law eventually. First, though, he will take a couple of years off to travel or return to his favorite recreations, hiking and sailing. Living under the philosophy, "You can't beat the West," Duggan has taken full advantage of the region's resources. He began sailing at the age of five on his father's homemade 19-foot Lightning in Puget Sound and dreams about owning a 45-footer someday.

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Of course, future plans would change if a pro team drafted Duggan. "It'd take a lot of work, but I wouldn't mind it," John said. Pro teams like to sign players straight from high school, but they do draft college players. When asked if he would give the pros a shot, Duggan replied, "Oh, hell yes, tomorrow."