Mueller Injured In Boys Lacrosse Win Over Wilton

The Ridgefield High School boys lacrosse team earned a hard-fought 10-9 over Wilton on Thursday night, but it was a loss that had everyone buzzing when the score went final.

Ridgefield senior Kurt Mueller took a stick to his left knee with just under four minutes to play in a tie game that ended the midfielder's night—but hopefully not his high school career.

"He's our quarterback," Ridgefield Coach Roy Colsey said of the future Towson State midfielder. "Unfortunately, it looked like he was really starting to get comfortable tonight. I hope that's not the end of his senior year."

If there were a silver lining to Mueller's injury, it was that it came at a point in the game where his presence would only be missed for a few moments. 

Just over a minute after he was helped off the field, midfielder Andrew Buckanavage scored what would be the game winner, bouncing his shot between the legs of Warrior goalie Devyn Jeffereis, who despite the loss turned in another spectacular effort.

The entire game was a back-and-forth battle as both teams played up to their potential.

Tiger goaltender Drew Butturini was up to the challenge and responded with several difficult saves that he managed to make look routine. 

Ridgefield responded well to Wilton's physical playing with its own aggressive style of offense, ringing shot after shot off the post behind Jeffereis before finally cashing in.

Despite leaving late in the fourth, Mueller turned in an all-star effort. Harassed all game by Warrior defenders, Mueller scored four goals and single-handedly erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to bring his Tigers back into the game.

The score was tied eight times through the match, and the lead changed hands four times, with the largest margin being the two-goal Wilton lead in the third period that was erased by Mueller.

Butturini capped off his strong effort in goal by shutting the door on the Warriors late in the game to seal the victory. The win pushes Ridgefield 's record to 11-2 (9-1 in the FCIAC ), but Colsey knows his team will face challenges in its upcoming matches.

"To lose (Mueller) is tough because he is our go-to guy—he settles things down, he makes plays and he's just a great kid,"  Colsey said.

If the Tigers have to proceed without their senior leader, they will have to rely on a superior team effort to fill the void.

"He's not replaceable," Colsey said. "I think we have to shift some things around and put our best foot forward."