Defending champions Glenmuir High kept their title defence alive with a 2-1 win over Kingston College in a keenly contested ISSA Champions Cup quarterfinal clash at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Saturday.

A late winner from substitute Nyron Allen (90+1) broke Kingston College’s hearts and sealed Glenmuir’s semifinal berth after Orane Watson’s 41st-minute goal gave the Clarendon-based team the lead. Demario Dailey (61st) found Kingston College’s goal in the encounter played in testing rainy conditions.

Glenmuir will square off against Ocho Rios High in one semifinal, while Jamaica College and Hydel will cross swords in the other to determine the finalists.

Winning coach Andrew Peart was pleased with how his team navigated the conditions and, by extension, a disciplined Kingston College defence.

“We got a lot from the substitutes; throughout the game we were always wondering how we could get a stronger foothold on the game because KC were really disciplined, but we made some adjustments to try and attack the game instead of waiting on a goal to come. So the lesson is to never give up and always fight until the end, and today was testament to that,” Peart said.

Both teams approached the encounter with energy and intent, despite heavy rain making conditions challenging. Players struggled to maintain footing on the wet turf, but the intensity of the game never wavered.

The breakthrough came in the 41st minute when Glenmuir’s O’Neil Headley delivered a well-placed corner to the back post. The ball was headed back across the goal, where Watson reacted quickest to fire home, giving Glenmuir a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

Though down, Kingston College, true to their motto, came out more purposeful on the resumption, and their persistence paid off a minute past the hour mark when Dailey unleashed a speculative shot from distance. The ball skidded off the wet surface, deceiving Glenmuir’s goalkeeper Justin Murray, who was left flat-footed as the ball nestled into the net to make it 1-1.

The equalizer ignited the match further, with both sides creating chances. In the 66th minute, Watson broke through Kingston College’s defense, but goalkeeper Malique Williams charged off his line to make a crucial block.

Minutes later, Watson had another opportunity, but Williams once again stood tall, denying Glenmuir’s talisman.

Kingston College came close to taking the lead in the 81st minute when Dailey found space inside the box, but his effort hit the sidenetting, leaving the Glenmuir bench breathing a sigh of relief.

As the game edged toward extra time, Glenmuir found a moment of brilliance as substitute Ricardo Binns orchestrated a flowing move down the right flank. His precise pass across the face of goal caught Kingston College’s defence off guard, allowing Allen to dart in ahead of his marker and fire home from close range in time added.

Kingston College’s Head coach, Vassell Reynolds, was gracious in defeat.

“It was a good game from both teams. We had a plan, and right down to the T, the boys executed well. It is just unfortunate that we conceded when we couldn’t get back but really proud of what the boys delivered today based on what we planned. So I am pleased with the performance but not the result,” Reynolds noted.