Campbell's Jeremy Rafuse Jr. leads the celebration after the Cougars' 1-0 Division II boys soccer title win over ConVal at Exeter on Friday night. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

EXETER – Campbell High School boys soccer coach Dan Dufourny looked at the scoreboard and saw something ironic.

“That score, 5-4, was the same score we lost by in last year’s finals,” he said, chuckling.

That was to Milford, in a game for the ages. But the 5-4 margin Dufourny saw on the board last night was the penalty kick tally his Cougars used to vanquish their 2024 memory and beat ConVal 1-0 to win this year’s Division II championship at Bill Ball Stadium.

The hero was the same scorer who put the Cougars in the finals with a sudden death PK in the semis, sophomore Christian Bellino. Only this time, it was in the fifth round of PKs, and if he missed it would have sent things to the extra round of kicks as each team had hit on four, but ConVal had a miss. He didn’t, burying a low shot and Campbell (16-2-1) came away with its fourth boys soccer title, first in Division II, and the celebration began.

“Best feeling in the world, man,” Bellino said. “Last year we came up short; I was so happy to do it this year. I was aiming just on the left side, just wanted to bang it, and I did it. Couldn’t ask for anything else. Best feeling in the world.”

“Same thing, he’s got ice in his veins,” Dufourny said of Bellino. “There was no doubt. As soon as that one hit the crossbar, I knew we had it.”

That crossbar shot was a miss by ConVal’s Harlan Bielagus, coming in the top of the fourth frame. The Cougars also got goals by keeper Adam Correau, Matt DeCarli, Brady Marcotte and Nicolas Noviello, a perferct 5 for 5. ConVal kept pace for awhile with tallies by Max Cail, Paxton Lothrop, Logan Montano, and had hope after Esben Andersen beat Correau in the top of the final frame. That hope was officially gone for the No. 5, 10-5-4 Cougars of Peterborough when Bellino scored.

“We went down to the last minute, I couldn’t ask for more,” ConVal coach John Szep said. “I thought we played really well tonight.

Why were there PK’s? Because neither team could find the back of the net after 110 minutes of soccer despite numerous chances. Campbell’s best came when Noviello found himself 10 yards away from an empty net and fired it high over the crossbar 11 minutes into the second half. ConVal’s was in overtime, first when Andersen missed on an open net and Logan Montano did the same thing high on a free kick.

Campbell’s Jayden Medina and ConVal’s Parker Trodetta battle for the ball in a crowd during Friday night’s Division II boys soccer title game in Exeter. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

“I was expecting a high scoring affair, because they get people forward, they only play with three in the back and get people up,” Dufourny said. “I thought we won, I thought we lost multiple times. No one could finish.”

“Two young teams,” Szep said, “and the guys taking those shots were young guys.”

But everyone aged well in this one.

“They just don’t give up,” Dufourny said of his group. “Once they started playing together, that was it, when they were combining and coming together, that’s when we started winning.”

Why was it so difficult for the teams to score? ConVal keeper xxxx had four saves and Correau the same, but we’re not talking spectacular plays.

“I think it was a combination of the defenders and goalies playing well, and people panicking in front of that net,” Dufourny said. “I think if there was an early goal, it would’ve broke the game open and we would’ve seen a bunch of goals.But it didn’t happen like that.”

No, it happened the way it happened in the semis: With Bellino burying a PK, only this time it was a title plaque-winning one.