The ConVal High boys soccer team was absolutely jubilant after Friday’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal victory over Milford. After all, shootouts are a whole lot more fun when you win them.

The Cougars lost last year’s D-II championship game on an agonizing round of penalty kicks. But after battling Milford to a scoreless tie through 100 minutes on Friday, ConVal hit all five of its penalty attempts and edged out the Spartans for the win.

“I remember the feeling of it as the last pen passed me [last year],” said ConVal goalkeeper Anthony Gutwein. “It was really the worst feeling ever. Our boys scored five in a row. It just doesn’t get better than that. As a goalie, it was the greatest feeling ever — it was awesome.”

  • ConVal’s Ryan Pimental in disbelief after the Cougar soccer team’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal win over Milford on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • ConVal’s Paxton Lothrop and Anthony Gutwein celebrate Lothrop’s game-winning penalty kick during the Cougar soccer team’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal matchup against Milford on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • ConVal’s Paxton Lothrop takes the game-winning penalty kick during the Cougar soccer team’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal matchup against Milford on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • ConVal’s Logan Montano shoots a penalty kick past Milford’s Darian Bachelder during the Cougar soccer team’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal matchup against Milford on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • ConVal’s Brody Way and Milford’s Eben Barb go for a ball during the Cougar soccer team’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal matchup against Milford on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • ConVal’s Owen Matthewson and Milford’s Blake Stone fight for a ball during the Cougar soccer team’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal matchup against Milford on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • ConVal’s Brenton Boice gets a header during the Cougar soccer team’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal matchup against Milford on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • ConVal’s Paxton Lothrop and Milford’s Matthew Pettingill go for the ball during the Cougar soccer team’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal matchup against Milford on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • ConVal’s Anthony Gutwein makes a save during the Cougar soccer team’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal matchup against Milford on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • ConVal’s Harlan Bielagus and Milford’s Blake Stone go at it during the Cougar soccer team’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal matchup against Milford on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • ConVal’s Elliot Dumas dribbles the ball as Milford’s Eric Arsenov defends during the Cougar soccer team’s NHIAA Division II quarterfinal matchup against Milford on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)

ConVal (13-2-2) finished as the No. 1 seed in D-II and earned a first-round bye, but the Cougars couldn’t have pulled a tougher No. 9-seed than Milford (7-7-4), one of the only two teams to beat the Cougars in the regular season. 

“They have five or six kids that played on the state championship two years ago,” said ConVal head coach Ben Brewster. “Based on watching them play, they’re as good as anybody in the top five.”

Aside from a few close but misplaced crosses and an errant Milford header, neither team cooked up much offense despite end-to-end and back-and-forth play throughout the contest.

Finally, it came to the penalty kicks. ConVal shooters Harlan Bielagus, Logan Montano, Owen Mathewson and Ryan Pimental all hit. And once the Spartans missed a shot, it was up to Paxton Lothrop to put the game away.

He scored, and the Cougars raced to the sideline, climbing up the fencing into the stands to greet their fans in ecstatic celebration.

“It’s heartbreaking if you lose; it’s exciting if you win,” Brewster said. “For us to go on to the next round obviously is great for our kids and sad for their kids.”

ConVal moved on to the semifinals Monday night against another familiar opponent, Bow, with former Cougar head coach and state champion Josh Smith at the helm. The fifth-seeded Falcons (11-4-2) lost to ConVal, 3-0, back in September and won their way to the semis by beating Oyster River 2-1.

“This final year we’re giving it all,” Montano said, “especially with 14 seniors on the roster. We’re giving everything we can to make it to the ‘ship and win this year. Last year didn’t go so well, obviously, and we’re going to change it.”

ConVal was scheduled to take the field at Salem High on Monday at 6:15 p.m. The winner of that contest will face the winner of No. 2 defending champion Campbell and No. 3 Lebanon in the state final, scheduled for Friday night at Exeter High.