Athlete of the Week: Mackenzie Scully

MACKENZIE SCULLY, senior, Padua soccer

THE WEEK: Had two goals and an assist in a 7-0 victory at Smyrna last Tuesday, then scored another goal in the top-ranked Pandas’ 3-0 win over third-ranked Charter of Wilmington on Friday.

THE ROLE: Scully is an outside midfielder, an important position in the Padua attack. “We use our outside mids a lot,” she said. “They always play the through balls, and we have to beat our one-on-one defenders and we’ve got to get it past the front post. Usually, we’ve got to count on other teammates to score the goals.”

THE COACH SAYS: “We’re going to always attack on the flanks, and Mackenzie is the one who’s going to get behind the defender,” Padua coach Joe Brown said. “She’s great on crosses. She’s great on getting behind them and going to goal. I actually want her to go to goal more when she gets that first touch.”

THE TEAMMATE SAYS: “She always wins her 1 v 1 battles and manages to put in great balls in the box when she has two or three players on her,” junior Emilia Ryjewski said. “Her work rate is awesome. She gets back on defense, and then next thing you know you turn around and she’s up on the attack, just grinding the other team’s back line.”

THE SETUP: Scully has been playing soccer since age 4. She enjoys her position on the Pandas, which usually results in more assists than goals. “It feels good,” she said. “It’s like all of your hard work paid off. Even though you didn’t get the goal, you’re the one who created the goal. It’s a great feeling.”

THE MATURITY: “She’s a very good student-athlete,” Brown said. “She was a guard in basketball, and she’s an All-State Top XI [soccer] player from last year. She’s just gotten better and more mature each year. She just gives us a lot, and she’s one of our go-to people.”

THE CLASSROOM: “I like Math,” Scully said. “I just like that there is always a solution.”

THE FUTURE: Scully plans to attend the University of Delaware, where she may play club soccer but will keep her primary focus on studying athletic training.

Send Athlete of the Week nominations to bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Padua Academy soccer player, Mackenzie Scully, is the Athlete of the Week.

Padua Academy soccer player, Mackenzie Scully, is the Athlete of the Week.

Padua Academy soccer player, Mackenzie Scully, is the Athlete of the Week.

Senior Mackenzie Scully plays a key role as an outside midfielder for the top-ranked Padua soccer team.