The men’s soccer team has gained a lot of new players this year, but Geoffrey Mullen is one who coaches and fans can’t seem to take their eyes off of.
The first-year student from small-town Kentville, Nova Scotia is excited to be playing for the Tommies.
“I’m hoping by playing here at STU I can take my skills to the next level,” he said.
Mullen has been playing soccer since he was four-years-old for many teams, including his high school and local community teams. At STU, he’s positioned as a right back, but believes he may be moved up to winger before too long.
“Essentially as a winger, I’m not only supposed to help the defence, but I’m also supposed to get in people’s ways and stop them from making plays towards the net,” said Mullen.
He has also played football, basketball, rugby and volleyball over the years. He said playing other sports has helped him to become a better soccer player, and his soccer abilities also helped him in other sports.
“By playing soccer, I am a very fast runner and I’m quick on my feet which helped me a lot in football. However, playing football made me more aggressive on the soccer field,” said Mullen.
“Playing basketball and volleyball also helped me to be more agile and quick on my feet.”
Mullen decided to come to St. Thomas after head coach John-Ryan Morrison and fellow teammate Bryden Dunphy both worked to recruit him.
He said he was originally thinking about going to Holland College on Prince Edward Island because of its policing program. Morrison and Dunphy convinced him after talking about STU’s criminology program and the soccer team.
Mullen said even though it’s early in the semester, he’s had very little time to relax, staying busy as a student athlete.
“When I first got here, I had two practices a day, along with everything else going on,” Mullen said.
“Time management has been a very big factor.”
He hopes he can make new connections with both his teammates and the women’s team.
“I would love to know that someone looked up to me as a role model like I did to so many other players on my team over the years.”
