Ryjewski, Scully help Padua soccer down Appo

Padua’s Mackenzie Scully (No. 22) runs ahead of Appoquinimink’s Alison Candy (No. 25) in the second half of Padua’s 4-0 win over Appoquinimink at Appoquinimink High School on Wednesday afternoon.

Padua’s Julia Detwiler (right) runs past Appoquinimink’s Ashley Hickman (left) in the second half of Padua’s 4-0 win over Appoquinimink at Appoquinimink High School on Wednesday afternoon.

Padua’s Kristen Brady (No. 5) passes the ball ahead of Appoquinimink’s Alison Candy (No. 25) in the second half of Padua’s 4-0 win over Appoquinimink at Appoquinimink High School on Wednesday afternoon.

Padua’s Mackenzie Scully (No. 22) runs down the sideline with Appoquinimink’s Rachel Cressler (No. 12) in the second half of Padua’s 4-0 win over Appoquinimink at Appoquinimink High School on Wednesday afternoon.

MIDDLETOWN – April 11, 2013, was a long time ago. Three years and two days passed until Wednesday, to be exact.

But the seniors on Padua’s top-ranked soccer team still remember. Because they lost to Appoquinimink on that date. And when you only lose twice in four seasons, you remember.

The four-time defending state champion Pandas made sure it wouldn’t happen again, getting two quick goals in the first eight minutes and cruising past Appo 4-0 on Wednesday.

“Scoring early is pretty huge for you,” Padua coach Joe Brown said. “We got the early goals, and it takes a little bit of pressure off. We always deal with teams that are pretty tight in the back, and if we break them down early we can breathe a little easier.”

Appoquinimink’s Ashley Hickman (left) collides with Padua’s Ashlee Brentlnger (right) in the second half of Padua’s 4-0 win over Appoquinimink at Appoquinimink High School on Wednesday afternoon.

Junior Emilia Ryjewski got the Pandas (7-0) on the board in the third minute, scoring from close range after her teammates worked the ball in deep.

“We had a great buildup,” Ryjewski said. “It started out wide at the flank, we worked our way in and then back out wide.

“[Mackenzie Scully] had a great cross. It went through a few players, kind of bounced around in the box, and it just came off my foot and I saw it go in the back of the net.”

Scully, a senior, was the beneficiary of Ryjewski’s cross in the eighth minute, heading it in for a 2-0 lead.

“She put a great ball in, just had a little bend, and I just got on the end of it,” Scully said. “It’s nice scoring any way, but when you score on a header it’s way better. It takes more effort, I feel like. It doesn’t happen a lot, so when you do it it’s an awesome feeling.”

Padua’s Megan Mallon puts a shot on goal in the second half of Padua’s 4-0 win over Appoquinimink at Appoquinimink High School on Wednesday afternoon.

The Pandas made it 3-0 on an own goal in the 27th minute, as a hard shot from Padua’s Gabrielle Villermaux deflected off a Jaguars defender and into the net. The final goal came eight minutes into the second half, on a blast from Molly Drach.

“I’m really happy,” Ryjewski said. “We came out in the first half knowing that we had a target on our backs, and we came out with aggression and just played our game.”

Fourth-ranked Appoquinimink (4-1), which expects to challenge Charter of Wilmington and Middletown for the Blue Hen Flight A title, put together some highlights. Goalkeeper Kiyanna Gill earned eight saves, even banging into the far post to make a stop in the 20th minute.

The Jaguars also made several forays into their offensive end, finishing with 10 shots and four corner kicks. Appo’s best scoring opportunity came in the 62nd minute, when a shot by Caelan Brooks deflected off the near post.

“Appoquinimink is a nice team,” Brown said. “They did a nice job. They stayed compact on us. We kept possession of the ball, but they were doing the right things and setting themselves up to counter.”

Senior Abigail Boudart made four saves for Padua, which has compiled a 56-2-3 record over the last four seasons. The other loss came to Charter in 2014, and the Pandas will surely remember that when they meet the third-ranked Force on April 22 at the Wilmington University Sports Complex.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.