STANDISH, Maine – The New England Soccer Journal (NESJ) NCAA DIII Player of the Year honors have been announced and Saint Joseph's College junior Blake Mullen (Manchester, Conn.) has been selected as the NESJ Goalkeeper of the Year.
Mullen, the 2017 GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year, shattered the Monks' goalkeeping record book and also etched his name in the NCAA record books during his junior season. The 6'7 keeper started all 21 games and logged 1,796 minutes in goal while posting a 0.05 goals against average, a .981 save percentage, and 12 shutouts this fall. The first-time All-New England honoree established new NCAA Men's Soccer records for consecutive shutout minutes (1,706:09) as well as the single-season goals against average and save percentage marks and broke the Monks' career records for victories (39) and shutouts (28) during the 2017 campaign.
The NESJ awards release states: "There was little doubt who'd garner this award, as Mullen put together one of the most-impressive seasons from a statistical standpoint for any NCAA 'keeper. Standing at 6 feet 7 inches, Mullen allowed one goal in regulation play during 21 games, with the sole blow coming against Mitchell in the NCAA Tournament. Mullen had quite the back line ahead of him, but he was simply dominant between the posts, even holding Tufts, last year's national champion, to a shutout."
For his career, Mullen owns a 39-5-7 record with 28 shutouts and a 0.30 goals against average. In 4,449 minutes of play, he has allowed just 15 goals with 131 saves for a .897 save percentage.
The Monks capped the regular season ranked 17th in the D3Soccer.com national poll and sixth in the United Soccer Coaches regional poll and currently lead NCAA DIII Men's Soccer in goals against average (.047), won-lost-tied percentage (.952), and save percentage (.983). Saint Joseph's is also second in the nation in shots per game (22.76) and shots on goal per game (11.57), fifth in assists per game (2.95) and total assists (62), and sixth in points per game (9.33), total goals (67), and total points (196).
Saint Joseph's looks to resume the program's 21-game unbeaten streak when the team begins play next fall.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
