With Anthony Hildreth, the fire is on the inside.
The Metea Valley senior midfielder always appears unflappable even in a sea of chaos.
“He’s just so calm,” Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson said. “He reads the game and sees the game better than anybody else, and he’s organized.”
Which is just what a coach wants in a defensive midfielder. Robinson, though, sometimes wants even more from Hildreth.
“There are moments where I will have to light him up a little bit to get a little more out of him because he’s always calm,” Robinson said. “Sometimes in that position of a 6, you’re really smooth, but sometimes you need to be a little bit more of a brute.
“But he’s a world-class player, he’s a phenomenal guy and so we’re super proud of what he’s done.”
On Tuesday, Hildreth’s solid play at both ends of the field helped Metea Valley edge Naperville Central 2-1 in double overtime in a DuPage Valley Conference game in Aurora.
Senior forward Jake Anargyros scored both goals for the Mustangs (9-6-2, 1-2-1), who didn’t trail the Redhawks (10-4-2, 2-2) at any point. Hildreth set up the first goal with a nifty lead pass to Anargyros, who scored on a 12-yard shot from the right side of the box with 30:40 left in the first half.
It was the second assist of the season for Hildreth, whose first responsibility is usually guarding the opponent’s best attacking player. That focus doesn’t stop him from looking up the field.
“I’m just working on my fitness a lot,” Hildreth said. “The adrenaline pumps from winning the ball back, and I saw the space to drive today. I just knew Jake was going to make a run, and I saw it.”
Anargyros knew Hildreth would.
“I’ve always been aiming at going outside and making those curling runs, and he knows where to find me every time because he’s at that level,” Anargyros said.
The play, which gave the Mustangs a 1-0 lead, epitomized Hildreth’s best qualities.
“He does a great job of distributing and moving the ball around the field,” Robinson said. “He’s the conduit between Cam (Leys) and (Langdon Kot) in the back and Sahil (Khare) and Cole (Hatfield) in front of him and the guys up top.
“So he’s the one who keeps us organized and together. He’s the coach on the field, and he does it well.”
The early goal set the tone. Naperville Central tied it when junior midfielder Eli Jarrell scored off an assist from senior forward Nathan Laird with 29:39 to go in the second half.
But the Redhawks were unable to take the lead, and Anargyros tallied the golden goal with 5:20 left in the second overtime, running onto a lead pass from Khare and beating Naperville Central senior goalkeeper Connor Waite on a breakaway.
“It was miraculous,” Anargyros said. “I wanted that. I knew when I was all alone with the keeper, I was going to score, so it was super exciting.”
These are exciting days for the Mustangs, whom Robinson said have been playing well lately even in the games they don’t win. This is Metea Valley’s first victory against Naperville Central in Hildreth’s three-year varsity career.
“It means a lot,” Hildreth said. “It’s always nice to beat our rival because they usually talk a little bit of trash.”
Trash talking isn’t Hildreth’s style. The aspiring dermatologist who is drawing interest from schools such as Saint Louis and Augustana said his best quality is his mind.
“I think it’s my intelligence,” he said. “I feel like I can anticipate and see what the other team is going to do. It gives me that little quick step.
“It’s really helpful for the next level because I can try to predict things in advance. It’s not a physical trait that can go away.”
Hildreth’s gentlemanly demeanor in a sport that is often physical and sometimes nasty shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of competitiveness.
“At practice, he’s always pushing us, and he’s super motivating,” Anargyros said. “He’s super cool in the back. We always trust him.
“It’s super good to have him in the back because we always know if we ever have to turn around and play someone (the ball), he’ll be there.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
