Campbell's Jeremy Rafuse Jr.(23) leads the celebration after the Cougars defeated Hollis Brookline in the Division II semis via penalty kicks Monday night in Exeter. (Telegraph photo byTOM KING)

EXETER – The Campbell High School boys soccer team is on a mission. And Christian Bellino chose to accept it.

The Cougars want to capture the Division II championship that eluded them in the finals a year ago, but first to get there they had to rely on the foot of Christian Bellino, whose boot in the sudden death phase of penalty kicks gave his No. 2 seeded team a 3-2 win over No.6 Hollis Brookline at Bill Ball Stadium.

Bellino felt he had the weight of that mission on his shoulder when he blistered a shot into the upper left corner of the goal that HB keeper Ian Sinclair had no real shot at.

“I wanted it bottom left,” Bellino said, “and I hit it as hard as I could, and I prayed and it went top left. I knew we were going to win, I didn’t think it would go this far. We’re coming for it all this year.”

“Nerves of steel, he’s awesome,” Cougars coach Dan Dufourny said of his shooter. “To go into the sixth person and win it, that’s impressive.”

A loss would have been frustrating for the 15-2-1 Cougars, who now face No. 5 ConVal (10-4-4) in the finals here 7:15 on Friday night. They looked in control up 2-0 at halftime on goals by Brady Marcotte (ball deflected off the post midway through the half) and Ethan Bellino on a nice pass from Marcotte six minutes later.

However the Cavs got their energy in the second half and tied things up on two goals by James Arthur the first in the 50th minute, and the tying tally off a nice through ball by Mark Smith eight minutes later. The rejuvenated Cavs had plenty of opportunities in the last 20 minutes of regulation, but none better than when Andrew Desmarais was on Cougar keeper Adam Correau’s doorstep, but Correau had just enough tie to dive to his left in the goal mouth and smother the ball point blank.

“We kind of started flat, and second half we came out kind of buzzing,” Cavs coach Rick Carvalho said. “Then they put a lot of pressure on us and we had one off the post that I’d think we’d all take back if we could. … But I can’t fault them, they gave me everything they’ve got.”

“I thought we dominated the overtime,” Dufourny said. “It was a crazy game.”

But the craziness had just begun. Campbell had three scores by Matt DeCarli, Correau (yes this keeper also takes PKs), and one that forced a sudden death round by Nicolas Noviello.HB had goals by Chris Ledger, John Constantine, and one they thought might win it in the top half of round five, Logan Gormley.

The OT phase of PKs lasted just one round, when Correau saved HB’s Nathan Fossnes in the top half then the older Bellino hit his golden shot.

Campbell goalie Adam Correau cradles the ball after making a point blank save on Hollis Brookline’s Andrew Desmarais, left, during the Division II semifinals on Monday night in Exeter. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

The goalies combined for five saves in penalty kicks, which is very rare.

“I give the goalies time to do goalie stuff every day at practice and (Correau) practices PKs every time, taking them and saving them every day,” Dufourny said.

“We were confident with Ian in goal, he’s just been unbelievable for us all year,” Carvalho said. “And the guys who took (the PKs) had the courage to take them. It is what it is. It was a good run. We had to kind of push through the weeds to see the beautiful flowers. Something to build on.”

Meanwhile, Campbell’s mission continues after an exhausting contest.

“I didn’t think it was going to go this far,” Bellino said, “but we finished it, that’s all that matters.”

Hollis Brookline goalkeeper Ian Sinclair ponders what might have been after the Cavs fell in the Division II semis to Campbell Monday night in Exeter. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)