Naperville Central senior defender Bryce Dodsworth plays a position that requires a lot of grit.
Dodsworth has plenty of it, but that might not be his best attribute. He plays with joy and walks around with a smile plastered to his face.
“He’s an amazing player, and it’s fun to have him on the field,” Naperville Central senior forward Zakaria Sajjad said. “He cracks jokes and makes the energy come up a lot.
“Before games, he’s always the first one to come out and be like, ‘Oh, let’s go. Let’s get hyped. Let’s win this.’”
Dodsworth, a two-year starter at center back, was at it again Tuesday. He got the Redhawks fired up for their Class 3A Naperville Central Regional semifinal, and his teammates responded.
Sajjad scored twice, his first multigoal game, while junior midfielder Brady Strang and senior defender Ryan Gervase both scored one goal as second-seeded Naperville Central blanked 16th-seeded Plainfield East 4-0 at Memorial Stadium.
Dodsworth anchored a defense that allowed only one shot. The Redhawks (14-3) advance to play seventh-seeded Oswego (15-7) in the regional championship game at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Sajjad said Dodsworth’s positivity has been a big boost.
“I feel like it helps us a lot just because if the whole team is down, the whole team’s down,” Sajjad said. “But if one person steps up and says, ‘Let’s get hyped up,’ we are all going to come in.
“I feel like he’s one of those people that gets us hyped, that gets us ready for our games. Even in practice, he’s like, ‘Boys, let’s focus.’”
Dodsworth practices what he preaches. He doesn’t shy away from doing the often unheralded work required of defenders.
“He’s fairly instinctual because he’s been a defender for a while, so you can see that he understands the position,” Naperville Central coach Troy Adams said. “He knows where to be. He’s a pretty confident tackler. He doesn’t mind getting his body in there to make some plays that could hurt, so bravery would be a big part of it.”
The main ingredient of Dodsworth’s success, though, is the joy with which he plays.
“I’ve had a lot of fun,” he said. “Spending time with the team, kind of building the chemistry, it’s a great group of guys, and I just love playing with them.
“When everyone knows what’s going on, it just all clicks together. It’s a great time.”
If Dodsworth’s legacy will be his sunny disposition — he was still grinning even in the windy, wet and chilly conditions following the game — it will be just the latest chapter in his family’s multigenerational history with the Redhawks.
Dodsworth’s father, Brian, aunts Amy and Laura, brother Nathan and sister Daly have all played soccer at Naperville Central. Retired Naperville Central girls soccer coach Ed Watson recalled that Amy Dodsworth scored the game-winning goal in an upset win over top-ranked Naperville North in a 1993 sectional semifinal and played on the 1994 team that finished second in the state.
“The Dodsworths are one of those families that have added to Naperville Central, both on the boys and girls sides,” Adams said. “There’s a lot of history, a lot of contributions.
“I think it makes it more meaningful, a little bit more special.”
Indeed, Bryce Dodsworth had long dreamed of playing for the Redhawks.
“I think it’s a benefit,” he said of the family history. “Just growing up around it, listening to the stories, made me want to play more, and then playing here when I was little with my aunt and uncle was always fun.”
Dodsworth was in sixth grade when he attended his first Naperville Central game to watch his brother Nathan play.
“Seeing him out there, mostly him with the team having fun, it always looked like a great time,” Dodsworth said. “At home we were just always playing soccer since I was a little kid, so I love it in and out.”
Dodsworth hasn’t decided whether to play soccer in college, but he’s got some advice for younger players.
“Getting prepared for the season, you obviously want to be on your best game but also just have fun with it,” he said. “It’s a great time.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.