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Ahead of Syracuse’s opening game of 2024, head coach Gary Gait praised Lehigh transfer Christian Mulé. Gait explained that Mulé is more “two handed” than other Syracuse attackers and they were excited to have him. But to close out his remarks about Mulé, Gait hinted that the attacker was nervous to make his Syracuse debut.

Sitting at the podium postgame after his debut with the Orange, Mulé explained that nerves are “normal.” Though, his performance didn’t indicate any hint of nevrousness.

After four seasons with Lehigh in which he made 47 starts and registered 183 career points, Mulé wasted no time making an impact with his new team. With Syracuse’s offense out of rhythm to start the game, Mulé settled it. The attack’s instant offense provided a spark for No. 9 Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) in its 20-7 blowout win over Vermont (0-1, 0-0 America East). Mulé’s three goals and two assists — all of which came in the first half — were only bested by Joey Spallina’s four goals and three assists. Mulé fit right in with the rest of Syracuse’s attack, creating a dangerous dynamic throughout the contest against the Catamounts.

“He’s super slick, really good off the ball, good around the pipes. He plays to his strengths really well. And plays really well with (Spallina) and (Hiltz),” Vermont head coach Chris Feifs said of Mulé postgame.

Although the final score indicated a blowout, it wasn’t until Mulé got going that the Orange looked comfortable. Vermont led 1-0 after a goal from Tristan Whitaker and Syracuse went the first seven and a half minutes without scoring. It was eerily similar to SU’s slow start against Vermont last season, where the Orange were shutout in the first quarter before eking out a 7-5 victory.

But Mulé broke the drought with seven minutes left in the first quarter. As Sam English dogged down the alley, he turned to find Finn Thomson. As Thomson received the pass, Mulé cut across the crease and squeezed the ball between George Egan’s legs in net, tying the game 1-1.

Mulé called the goal a “sigh of relief” after Syracuse had just two shots up until that point while looking out of sorts on offense.

“Once I was able to settle in a little bit and let the game come to me I just took it from there,” Mulé said postgame.

After a Luke Rhoa goal put Syracuse ahead 2-1, Mulé then connected with Spallina for SU’s third goal in five minutes. Parallel to the goal, Mulé turned inside before firing a pass right to Spallina who whipped one past Egan as the Orange led by multiple goals for the first time.

Spallina mentioned how he and Mulé have been a part of Team 91 — a lacrosse club based out of Long Island — since the third grade and have built the connection over the years. Even though they were in different age groups, they still often worked together, which has carried over to Syracuse.

Mulé said the play wasn’t necessarily a set one, but because of the time they spend together in practice, things “come natural” and “are comfortable” when in game. Spallina also added that they practice the exact type of scenario often.

“We kind of locked eyes in the beginning of my dodge, I kind of popped out and caught it and then shot it, but again I think that just goes back to us playing together,” Spallina said.

Just over two minutes into the second quarter Mulé successfully distributed once again. Spallina curled off a screen from Wyatt Hottle as Mulé cut towards the crease from behind the net. Catching the ball on the run, Mulé was taken slightly away from goal with two Vermont defenders draped on him. But the attack created a passing window, finding Jake Stevens on the doorstep, putting Syracuse up 4-2.

Mulé’s assist helped spark a five-goal run for Syracuse in less than five minutes. During the run, Mulé got back on the score sheet. Rhoa fed Owen Hiltz on the right wing before setting a screen which Hiltz split. Hiltz lasered a pass to Mulé along the crease, scoring again, increasing Syracuse’s lead to four. Two more goals extended SU’s lead to six, but Vermont answered with two of its own. After the small run, Mulé was there again for his fifth goal contribution of the first half.

Controlling the ball from behind the cage, Hiltz picked his head up and saw Mulé once again making a darting run to the crease. Mulé had snuck away from his defender and quickly slotted a left-handed shot into the net for a first half hat trick.

In 2023, Mulé finished with 73 points, 29 goals and 44 assists. With Syracuse, Mulé has started off on the right foot. While he didn’t register a point in the second half, Mulé’s play helped launch into a dominant win. After SU’s five straight goals, the closest Vermont would get would be when it trailed 8-4. Outside of the two-goal spurt, Syracuse’s offense proved to be too much for the Catamounts.

With the known names from last year like Spallina, Hiltz, Thomson and Michael Leo, Mulé brings a different dynamic to Syracuse. His veteran presence is already paying dividends to a team which has lofty expectations in 2024.

Published on February 3, 2024 at 9:16 pm

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