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Christian Mulé’s backyard training sessions with his older brother Cameron always started with a simple catch. Shooting drills soon followed and it wasn’t long before competition broke out. The brothers tested everything, from who could hit a target more times to firing shots past one another. No matter what they did, it often ended in the two wrestling on the ground.

“Whoever lost would start a fight,” Cameron said.

“Neither of us liked to lose so we always took it personal when we played each other,” Mulé added.

After their parents broke it up, the two quickly made up and walked back into the house as if nothing happened. Like clockwork, Mulé and Cameron soon returned to the backyard — a rinse and repeat process which went on for over a decade.

Long before gracing the JMA Wireless Dome turf, Mulé grew his game through backyard battles with his brother. Four years and 183 points later, Mulé transferred from Lehigh to Syracuse as a graduate student where he has seamlessly slotted in, ranking third on the team in scoring. His attacking versatility has helped SU become a top offense in the country.

Each session was different for the Mulé brothers. Sometimes they worked on footwork, other times it was target practice, often misfiring balls into a neighbor’s backyard. Both were lefty attacks and worked on the same drills, but Cameron took his brother’s development personally. As much as they were each other’s “biggest fans,” Cameron made it his mission to make Mulé better than him.

That meant even the sandy beaches of Fair Harbor in Fire Island, Long Island weren’t safe from Mulé and Cameron. The brothers never went anywhere without their sticks, bringing mini-nets on vacation with them.

“We love the game so much that we felt empty whenever it wasn’t around us,” Cameron said.

Lacrosse runs in the Mulé family. His father, Jimmy, was a standout goalie for St. Johns and played two seasons of Major League Lacrosse for the Philadelphia Barrage before joining their coaching staff. In 2005, Jimmy was hired by the Long Island Lizards as their head coach.

Despite the brothers’ youth, the two found comfort on the Lizards’ sideline. When Mulé started playing travel lacrosse, his teammates huddled around the fence at the Mitchel Athletic Complex during Lizards games, clamoring to join him.

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Mulé and Cameron frequently embarked on road trips to see the ins and outs of the professional game. They created a bond with players like Nicky Polanco and Brian Spallina — SU attack Joey Spallina’s uncle. Though their lacrosse careers were in their infancy, the two soaked up their surroundings.

Jim didn’t force lacrosse on either of his sons, but it was hard to keep them away from it. The love came naturally as soon as Cameron picked up a stick when he was eight years old and Mulé quickly followed suit. From that point on lacrosse connected the three and became the “center of their lives,” Cameron said.

Playing for Team 91 — Long Island’s premier travel lacrosse program — Mulé continued to develop his skills. Four-hour rides home from tournaments led to more backyard work rather than naps on the couch.

“We would always try to find a way to make it work,” Mulé said. “It didn’t matter how cold it was or what the time was, we were always trying to work on our craft together.”

In eighth grade, Cameron played for Half Hollows West High School and Mulé joined two years later. By then, Cameron developed into an elite attack while Mulé was more of a man-up specialist.

Mulé called it the “best years playing lacrosse together.” But in 2018, Cameron headed south to play at Duke, leaving Mulé with a void.

“It was definitely like I was missing a part of me when he was gone,” Mulé said. “I had to try to find a way without him.”

He no longer returned home and immediately raced to the backyard. Mulé said friends came over to practice, yet nothing excited Mulé more than when his brother came home.

Cameron passed down the knowledge he learned at Duke to Mulé. He emphasized focusing on smaller details. Cameron also implored Mulé to not be one-dimensional.

Syracuse attack Christian Mulé attempts to score against the Army defense. Jack Henry | Staff Photographer

Mulé took the advice to heart and made an instant impact at Lehigh with his finishing ability, catching the eye of former Lehigh and Syracuse midfielder Cole Kirst during fall ball in 2020. Labeled as a “scrapper” by Kirst, Mulé did the dirty work. His work came to a head in his first college scrimmage as Lehigh played Syracuse at Onondaga Community College.

Facing one of the top teams in the country at the time, Mulé wasn’t fazed. He grew up watching Syracuse, so he made the most of his opportunity. Mulé scored the first four goals of the game, including a behind-the-back finish which Kirst labeled as “one of the best goals he’s ever seen.”

Jimmy wasn’t present for the scrimmage as he was with Cameron in Durham. He kept up with the scrimmage through a parent group chat. Each time someone scored, a parent provided an update.

Jimmy kept peering at his phone. It kept reading “goal Mulé.”

“I thought the parents were fooling around with me,” Jimmy said.

As Mulé gained experience, his game evolved. Known as a finisher his first three seasons, he was trusted with being a primary offensive initiator as a senior. More slides came Mulé’s way. He adjusted by dishing out a career-high 44 assists — ranking third in the country — after registering just 30 in his first 32 games at Lehigh.

“He’s a sponge and that’s what makes him such a great player because he’s able to alter his game based on the strengths of others,” Kirst said.

The ability to blend in wherever needed led to a perfect transition at Syracuse. The free-flowing offensive style implemented by associate head coach Pat March made Mulé’s choice simple.

In 11 games with Syracuse, Mulé has scored 21 goals and dished out 11 assists. But his biggest moment with the Orange is one he’d like to forget.

Christian Mulé has been one of Syracuse’s top attackers this season, ranking third on the team in goals Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

There was one game Mulé circled on his calendar: Army at home on Feb. 28. The Black Knights were one of Lehigh’s rivals in the Patriot League and sent the Mountain Hawks home in the semifinals of the conference tournament in 2023. The game was personal for Mulé. And in overtime, Mulé had the chance to be the hero.

After an empty Syracuse possession to start overtime, Army attempted a clear. Mulé poked the ball loose around 30 yards out, took one look and lofted it toward the open net. But it went wide. Army came down the field and Jackson Eicher scored the winner.

Mulé was crushed. The play repeated in his mind for days. Mulé spoke with defensive coordinator John Odierna, who told him he was allowed to be upset but to wash it out.

“You can’t beat the army anymore” Odierna told him.

The same sentiment echoed from friends and family.

While the miss still lives in his head, Mulé has moved on. On March 9, Syracuse led 14-13 against then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins with 10 seconds left. Brett Martin controlled the ball, but Mulé closed him down and forced the ball loose. Martin regained it yet threw the ball out of bounds as Syracuse sealed its first-ever win against a top-five opponent under Gary Gait.

Redemption. This time, the ride worked out in his favor.

Just like in the backyard, nothing came easy for Mulé. Guided by Cameron, lacrosse became an unavoidable lifestyle for him. The two bonded over their goal of winning a national championship one day and while Cameron came up short with the Blue Devils, the responsibility now lies with Mulé.

“We loved watching college lacrosse and watching teams compete for a championship so that was always in our heads when we were playing,” Cameron said.

Published on March 28, 2024 at 12:43 am

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