Andy Baggot Andy Baggot
Goalkeeper became one of the first UW men’s soccer greats
BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — When Mark LaPorte was first introduced to soccer, it was the equivalent of love at first sight.
"We had some neighbors whose father was an Italian immigrant," he explained. "They were part of this new Milwaukee Kickers soccer club. They said, 'You should play soccer.'
"So, there I was at 9 years old and soccer kind of bit me. I was reasonably good, but I loved playing it. So, soccer, at a very young age, became my focus."
Almost immediately, that focus became one-dimensional.
"There was a kid who was a goaltender that moved away, so that was the only position that was open," LaPorte said. "They usually put the new kid in the goal.
"At 9 years old and the new kid on the team, I was happy to do whatever the coach wanted me to. It didn't matter to me."
Since then, LaPorte has always been the goalkeeper and his resume has always been impressive. His time as a standout player on the Wisconsin men's soccer team helps define that reality.
LaPorte was arguably the first great performer for the Badgers. He starred from 1979 to '82, which meant his career predated the inclusion of soccer in Big Ten Conference as well as scholarships and, in the case of UW, funding of any reasonable sort.
"We became a very good team when Mark was here," said Jim Launder, a Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Famer who was an assistant coach at the time. "He was literally the first person I recruited when I was here."
LaPorte said Launder, who spent 15 seasons as UW coach and led the Badgers to the NCAA title in 1995, was his first coach growing up.
"His specialty was goaltender training and he was my youth coach and really helped me," LaPorte said. "When I was 17, Jim was hired by Bill Reddan to be the associate coach at Wisconsin.
"One year later, Jim recruits me to come to Madison. We actually had three incoming goalkeepers in the fall of 1979. I was fortunate to be the No. 1 from my freshman year on."
In addition to starting all four seasons, LaPorte was a three-time Most Valuable Player, a two-time all-Mideast first-team pick and team captain in 1981. That was the same season he spearheaded the No. 1 defense in the land, leading Wisconsin to its first NCAA tournament berth.
"It's funny," LaPorte said. "Back then, we had no sense of proportion. We were just a bunch of 18-year-olds that just wanted to keep playing."
Launder said a major challenge back in the early 1980s was finding high-level competition.
"One of our problems was we were so low budget we had trouble getting a national level schedule," he said. "We played the best teams that we could get to."
Nick Pasquarello, a former goalkeeper for the Badgers from 1990 to '94 who also worked as an assistant coach for the men's and women's teams at his alma mater and currently serves as the executive director of the W Club and Strategic Partnerships at Wisconsin, said he and LaPorte are more than good friends.
"We're kindred spirits and long-lost brothers," he said.
A lot of that has to do with their soccer background and Italian heritage, but also a powerful devotion to UW. LaPorte has been involved with the W Club for the last 15 years.
Pasquarellonoted that LaPorte and Co. were responsible for coaxing the Badgers from club team to varsity status, then putting together 20 consecutive seasons without a losing record.
"They set the foundation for Wisconsin soccer," Pasquarellosaid.
"We just loved to play," LaPorte said. "The only pressure we put on ourselves was the pursuit of excellence."
That pursuit has landed LaPorte in the UW Athletic Hall of Fame. He said he kept the phone call from Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh on voice mail.
"It is humbling and it is flattering," LaPorte said. "It's just an honor."
BEST OF THREE
One: Before his time
According to Launder, UW didn't have athletic scholarships until the 1990s, but LaPorte received one through the Sons of Italian Workmen because his father was a police officer in Milwaukee.
Two: Legendary
LaPorte arrived in Madison one year after future Olympic legend Eric Heiden played for the Badgers. LaPorte said UW teammates, noting Heiden's massive thighs as a speed skating prodigy, swore he could rip the net on penalty shots.
Three: Record-setter
LaPorte still holds the school record for most saves in a game. He had 17 in a scoreless duel with St. Louis in 1981. He also still ranks in the career and single-season top 10 in goals against average, saves and shutouts.
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