[4] His first year playing on the men's soccer team, in 1986, he led the Bulldogs to win the Pacific Coast Athletic Association championship and to the NCAA Final Four.
[7] Dougherty still holds the Big West Conference record for career shutouts, with thirty-eight between 1986 and 1989.
[9] Dougherty continued to attend classes, after being signed to play professionally, finally graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in finance from Fresno State.
[3] After exhausting his NCAA eligibility in 1989, Dougherty signed with the expansion San Francisco Bay Blackhawks, which were in the Western Soccer League (WSL).
In 1991, Dougherty led the league with a .81 goals against average per game as the Blackhawks won the title.
Dougherty made two saves during the shootout and was named the championship MVP and a first team All Star.
[3][4] He was ranked 1st among APSL goalkeepers with 7 shut outs and 0.58 goals against average, and was 3–1 in penalty kicks.
The last of those championships, the 1991 APSL title, qualified the Blackhawks for a place in the 1992 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
The Hawks took their division with a 14–2 record, making the Sizzlin’ Six tournament before folding at the end of the season.
[15] In February 1996, Dougherty expected to be selected in the first round of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft by coach Laurie Calloway of the San Jose Clash, eighth overall.
[4] Calloway had coached Dougherty previously, when he played for the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks.
He did not play in the second game, and the Mutiny were defeated by D.C.[17] The next year, in 1997, Dougherty went 15–9 with a 1.89 goals against average and three shutouts.
He racked up enough victories (17) to place Tampa second in the east, only to be knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the Crew.
Noted as "one of the most astounding goalkeeping displays in the history of the Crew," Dougherty made several stunning first-half saves in a home game against San Jose.
[21] In 2000, he started 25 matches, posting a 10-12-3 record with three shutouts against New York/ New Jersey, Kansas City, and Miami.
In 1995, was a player-coach for the Hawaii Tsunami, and he also coached the Santa Rosa Junior College Women's Soccer Team to the state championship where they lost to Mt.