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PHILADELPHIA — Anything can happen in overtime. The heightened tension magnifies every pass, slide and shot.

One mistake, and it could be game over. Syracuse has found that out one too many times under Gary Gait, with a 0-5 record in regular season overtime games in the previous five years.

However, before any madness can ensue, the momentum can be swung with a faceoff win. Based on the first three quarters of play, that seemed out of the realm of possibility. John Mullen couldn’t buy a win at the X. He had just one in the first half and three through three quarters. False starts, poor clamps and flat out hustle allowed Penn to get possession after possession.

Something changed in the fourth quarter. There were only two draws, but Mullen won each cleanly, allowing Syracuse to erase a four-goal third quarter deficit. Billy Dwan’s slick finish tied the game 8-8 with 9:45 remaining and neither team found a winner in regulation.

That set up the grand finale. Mullen could right all of his wrongs with a perfect rep. Lined up against Mac Eldridge, Mullen did just that. Thirty-six seconds later Michael Leo was running around like a mad man to avoid his teammates after scoring the game-winner, as SU escaped what would’ve been a disastrous third straight loss.

Mullen wasn’t at his best Sunday. It was the second time in three days he put together an uncharacteristic performance. He finished under 50% (6-for-13) in two straight regular season games as a starter for just the second time in his career. Though Mullen’s tough day at the office will be masked by his win at the dot in overtime. Everything was forgotten once Leo’s shot squeaked under Jack Pelot to help No. 6 Syracuse (4-2, Atlantic Coast) somehow take down No. 19 Penn. 9-8.

“(If) we don’t have that possession, we don’t win the game,” Gait said postgame of Mullen’s crucial play.

Mullen’s numbers last year spoke for themself. A 63% win rate — the second-best mark among power conference faceoff men — just two regular season games below 50% and seven games over 65%.

You get the idea. Mullen won a lot of faceoffs.

The sophomore was a machine. At times, he won games by himself for Syracuse. His 21-of-26 performance against Notre Dame in the ACC Semifinals powered SU to a win. An astonishing 85.75% performance helped the Orange play make-it-take-it in a wild fourth-quarter comeback against Harvard in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

His junior year looked like it would be much of the same, winning 62.5% of his attempts in the first three games. The following three have been a different story. Yes, Mullen wasn’t below 50% in SU’s rematch with Harvard, but it sure felt like it, considering he won 88% versus the Crimson in 2025.

Bad games happen, and Mullen’s subpar outing last week seemed like it would be a minor slip-up.

Wrong.

Friday against No. 7 Princeton was an unmitigated disaster. Mullen went a career worst 6-for-16 and Syracuse lost handily to the Tigers. Less than 48 hours later, it was much the same. Eldridge beat Mullen to nearly every whistle. He outmuscled him on 50-50 ground balls and put Syracuse in danger of a second loss in three days.

Penn scored five straight goals to give it a 8-4 lead, which only looked like it would grow over time. At least, until Mullen could get back to his dominant self.

“It’s all mental,” Gait said when discussing Mullen’s struggles. “He just wasn’t on the whistle. We had four violations again today. It’s a lot of violations today, and we’ll keep working with them and keep making them get better.”

Slumps happen. Mullen’s track record would make people think the last two games were an aberration. A minor blip for a titanic resume.

Yet, Mullen’s not a mysterious figure anymore. Everyone knows he’s arguably the best faceoff man in the country. Mullen was ranked No. 25 on Inside Lacrosse’s preseason top 50 players list with Brady Wambach (10) as the only specialist ahead of him. Just ask Penn head coach Taylor Wray about SU’s specialist.

“Coming into the weekend, I thought he was one of the best in the country. I still think he is one of the best in the country,” Wray said.

Facing off is like a heavyweight prize fight. It’s nearly impossible to deliver a knockout blow because no matter how many left jabs or right hooks someone throws, the opponent has the chance to fire right back after every goal. That being said, if you win enough faceoffs like Eldridge — who finished 11-of-17 — you can score a few knockdowns.

In turn, a struggling faceoff man can lead a coach to throw in the towel, which in lacrosse terms means pulling the starter.

Gait could’ve done that when Mullen was 2-of-10 early on in the third quarter. He wasn’t just on the ropes. Mullen was fighting for his life.

But throwing that fabled white piece of cloth isn’t an option with Mullen. He showed why in the final 15 minutes.

“(Mullen) answered the bell in the fourth quarter, and (got) the most meaningful ones,” Wray said. “I don’t know if there’s anything that we were doing differently. I think we just matched up well against him.”

There was no faceoff to start the fourth quarter. After a Finn Thomson score, Syracuse was called for two unsportsmanlike penalties, putting it down two players. Penn held possession at the end of the third, still with the advantage, meaning it’d start the fourth with the ball.

The Orange got a stop — one of many as they held Penn scoreless for the final 20 minutes — and Thomson cut SU’s deficit to one. Mullen lost the initial clamp to Eldridge, but just as Penn’s specialist was picking up a bouncing ball, Mullen put him off with a check. A mad scramble followed and Syracuse gained possession.

Once Dwan’s crafty finish tied it up, Mullen grinded out a ground ball on the ensuing faceoff. Syracuse’s momentum didn’t turn into an avalanche. The tense goalless final 10 minutes left Mullen sitting alone on the bench.

Nobody can get into Mullen’s head to know what he was thinking then. Though, when overtime rolled around, his approach was easy to assume.

Just win. One more faceoff, and the Orange could get out of dodge with a victory, which is exactly what occurred.

Nobody knows what would’ve happened if Mullen didn’t get the ground ball. Let’s say that played out. If Penn scored, Syracuse would’ve been left at .500 with three straight road losses, staring down the barrel of three more road games and a mammoth conclusion to its schedule.

It’s impossible to know how a season will go after the calendar turns to March. What’s obvious is losing three games on the bounce doesn’t help anyone. That idea was creeping into people’s heads when Mullen jogged across the midfield line for his final faceoff of the afternoon.

Lose and Syracuse’s pressure-filled season might go down the drain. Luckily for the Orange, Mullen wiped out those dreary thoughts with a clutch moment.

“(It) wasn’t (Mullen’s) best day by any means, but he stepped up, and we need him,” Gait said.

Published on March 1, 2026 at 6:31 pm
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