John Mullen wins ACC Defensive Player of the Week award
John Mullen earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors after going 14-for-19 on faceoffs and scoring a goal in SU's win over No. 17 BU. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Syracuse faceoff man John Mullen earned the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week award, the conference announced Tuesday. Mullen was key in Syracuse’s 13-6 win over No. 17 Boston University on Sunday, winning 14-of-19 faceoffs, while scoring a goal. Duke’s Max Sloat earned Offensive Player of the Week Honors after scoring five goals against Bellarmine.
Mullen is one of Syracuse’s most important non-seniors on this roster. He had a stellar 2025 season — his first as a starter after backing up Mason Kohn — winning 63% of his faceoffs and recording five goals and three assists. Heading into his junior campaign, Mullen was hailed as not only one of the best faceoff men but one of the best players in the country.
Inside Lacrosse ranked him at No. 25 in its preseason top 50 players list. The only faceoff man ahead of him was North Carolina’s Brady Wambach.
Against BU, Mullen won the first six faceoffs against Madden Murphy, who registered a 55% faceoff win-rate as a freshman. Madden had one spurt where he won three straight reps, but Mullen ultimately proved too much for the Terriers.
“I thought he played pretty well,” Gait said of Mullen after SU’s win. “He does what he does. He dominated at times and scored a goal, created transition. He did lots of great things for us, and I’m just gonna enjoy watching him play this year. And I’m sure he’ll get better, and he’ll have better games than this, and I look forward to watching it.”
Mullen is a crucial part of Syracuse’s formula. The sheer amount of faceoffs he wins helps Syracuse keep pressure on opponents and score in quick succession. Two faceoff wins in a row to start the second half helped Syracuse score two goals in 12 seconds, turning a three-goal advantage into five.
After a Luke Rhoa score later in the frame, Mullen took one all the way for SU’s second goal in eight seconds.
The junior will look to continue his dominance when Syracuse takes on Saint Joseph’s in the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday.
