Kayla Mull never considered playing two sports in college. She was headed to La Roche to play soccer, and that was it.
Even if she had a notion to double up for the Redhawks, lacrosse would not have been on her radar. Considering the Kiski Area grad never played the sport in her youth, that’s no surprise.
Yet, on May 3, there she was, in the middle of a group of jubilant La Roche women’s lacrosse players as they celebrated the program’s inaugural Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference title. And if that wasn’t enough, four days later, she was named first-team all-conference as a defender.
“I had never even held a lacrosse stick,” said Mull, who just concluded her sophomore year.
Her improbable lacrosse story began during her freshman year. Her roommate, Kiki Nemcek, was playing soccer and lacrosse, and Nemcek encouraged Mull to join the team.
Coach Lisa Evans still was trying to get consistent numbers on her roster, and recruiting soccer players was one method she used to beef up the team. Mull agreed to come to practice, but she saw herself only as someone who would help in practice and not officially join the team, let alone become an integral part of it.
Evans installed Mull on defense, and the move paid immediate dividends. During an early-season game in 2024, she had Mull mark the opposing team’s best offensive player.
“And she shut her down,” Evans said. “I think the other player was really, really frustrated, and Kayla just kept her cool.”
Besides being a natural athlete, Evans said, Mull was a natural on defense. She played center back for the Redhawks women’s soccer team, and her skills on the pitch translated nicely onto the lacrosse turf.
“A lot of watching the players and who you’re defending are going to be similar,” Mull said, “so I kind of just think about, when I’m playing soccer, what would I do?
“For lacrosse, I have to sit down lower than I would in soccer, so that’s something I’m trying to work on still. But, for the most part, I feel like I’m playing soccer. I just don’t have a ball at my foot.”
Mull, who started all 14 matches in which she appeared, helped to anchor a staunch defense for the Redhawks (14-1, 6-0 AMCC). She ranked third on the team with 21 caused turnovers, with one coming in the AMCC title-game win over Mt. Aloysius. She also had two groundballs and two draw controls in the 12-6 victory.
For the season, La Roche gave up just 4.50 goals per game in conference play.
There are still challenges. Mull said the hardest skill to master was catching and cradling the ball in her stick. She admitted she still struggles, but her stick-handling is trending in the right direction.
Her height — she said she is 5-foot-10 but some of her teammates are convinced she is taller — also can present a challenge when it comes to retrieving groundballs. On the other hand, her length helps her with draw controls.
Mull remains a raw lacrosse talent, and Evans is eager to tap into more of her potential.
“The next thing is exploring the option of utilizing her in the midfield,” Evans said. “We’re going to have a gap in the midfield where we could use Kayla, but her defense was so strong that we may decide to keep her down there.”
Evans said Mull will have some input as to where she plays next season. That she is playing lacrosse at all was something she never saw coming, and now that she is in it, she is looking forward to seeing how much further she can progress.
“I felt like I did my job on the team,” she said. “… I just want to keep going.”