Glenmuir High continued their dominant march in the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup with an emphatic 5-2 victory over St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in their final Group A quarterfinal match on Saturday.

In a display of clinical finishing and cohesive play, Glenmuir, through goals from Orel Miller (12th), Conroy Nicely (32nd), Orane Watson (45th and 67th), and Ricardo Binns (90+1), overwhelmed their opponents at home in Santa Cruz to further solidify their status as title favourites. Justin McPherson (80^th) and Shemmar Smith (83^rd) got STETHS consolation.

The win saw Glenmuir finish atop the group with maximum nine points, five points ahead of McGrath High, who blanked Frome Technical 4-0 to also book a semi-final berth. They finished ahead of STETHS on goal difference after both ended on four points each.

Glenmuir’s Head coach, Andrew Peart, was again pleased with how his team went about business.

“Every game you play, you try not to concede but we can live with it. We were 4-0 up when we conceded so we can work on those. I thought today was one of the displays that you’re really proud of; at the start we weren’t really in control but we managed to settle and play our game and score some goals so again, I am really proud of them,” Peart said in a post-game interview.

Though a bit slow out the blocks, Glenmuir quickly gathered momentum and broke the deadlock inside 15 minutes when Miller capitalized on a perfectly weighted cross from Tajaun Cummings, rising above defenders to power a header into the net.

STETHS had a chance to respond shortly after but Deandre Barnett’s header struck the upright.

That was all STETHS would get at that point as Glenmuir extended their lead two minutes past the half-hour mark with a goal that showcased their set-piece prowess. A weighted corner kick from O’Neil Headly was cleverly flicked on by Dusting Cohen, allowing Nicely to tap in at the far post.

Watson added his name to the scoresheet just before halftime, when he slotted into an empty net after STETHS’ goalkeeper Johnoi Steadman advanced and failed to get a hand on Okeem Saunders’ perfectly measured cross. caused confusion in the STETHS defense, with misjudging the delivery as Glenmuir went 3-0 up at the interval. 

Glenmuir maintained their attacking intensity at the restart, with Watson again proving troublesome.

In the 67th, Saunders once again played provider, delivering a precise pass that Watson controlled expertly before unleashing a powerful drive from the edge of the box. With that, his second goal of the game, Watson took his tally to 31 for the season, a testament to his exceptional form.

Despite trailing by four goals, STETHS showed resilience in the final 10 minutes. McPherson pulled one back in the 80th minute, finishing from close range to bring the home crowd to life.

Just three minutes later, McPherson turned provider, delivering a pinpoint cross that Stewart headed home for his fifth goal of the season.

However, Glenmuir had the final say as Binns found himself unmarked in the penalty area and easily headed home a perfectly floated cross from Cohen to complete the rout. It was Binns’ seventh goal of the season and a fitting end to a commanding performance.

STETHS’ Head coach Omar Wedderburn and his troops will now have to look to the Ben Francis Cup for redemption.

“We weren’t focused enough in the first half and three goals scored from the service. We tried to make some adjustments in the second half but it barely bore fruit but that’s how it is; it is a hard one to digest and we just have to do what we have to do,” he noted.

Saturday’s Results

Glenmuir 5, STETHS 2

McGrath 4, Frome Technical 0

Munro College 3, Central High 1

Ocho Rios 2, Garvey Maceo 0

Glenmuir High overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat Frome Technical 4-3 in a thrilling Group A quarterfinal clash that will be remembered as one of the most exciting matches of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Wata daCosta Cup season.

It was an intense display of grit, determination, and skill by Glenmuir as they battled back from 3-1 down, with prolific scorer Orane Watson netting a hat-trick to see them to victory in May Pen, Clarendon, on Saturday.

Watson’s goals, which came in the 47th, 64th, and 79th, extended his remarkable tally to 27 goals so far this season, while Conroy Nicely (18th) got the other. Wayne Mullings (10th), Stevaughn Spence (22nd), and Clinton Beckford (43rd) got Frome Technical’s goals.

With the win, Glenmuir took charge of the group on three points, two points ahead of St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) and McGrath, who played out a 1-1 stalemate in the other fixture.

Glenmuir’s Andrew Peart praised his players’ fighting spirit.

“That is the key thing; you have to know how to win in multiple ways and being two goals down, I must say it was a job very well done by the boys overall.

“However, I thought the first half we allowed Spence too much freedom down our left channel because when they won the ball, they played direct and that was the biggest adjustments we made second half and then we secured possession of the ball a little more and those two things propelled us to the win,” Peart said in a post-game interview.

Frome Technical came into the match ready to prove their mettle and quickly displayed their attacking prowess and found the go-ahead goal when captain Mullings expertly converted a freekick from just outside the 18-yard box.

Glenmuir belatedly got into their stride and were back on leveled terms eight minutes later when O’neil Headly’s well-weighted corner kick was nicely headed home by an unmarked Nicely at the far post.

However, Glenmuir’s celebration was short-lived as the talented and classy Spence restored Frome Technical’s lead with a well-struck breathtaking freekick from well over 25 yards out that had custodian Justin Murray beaten all ends up.

After registering his 20th goal of the season, Spence played provider with a dazzling turn and pass off to Beckford, who finished with aplomb to add to Glenmuir’s woes, as Frome Technical went to the break 3-1 up.

However, Glenmuir’s squad refused to play dead and quickly cut the deficit two minutes into the resumption when Watson fired home.

The standout player, sporting the number nine jersey, ignited the comeback with a relentless drive and pulled Glenmuir level with a composed penalty conversion.

A heavy downpour then added to the drama, but rather than dampen the intensity, the rain only seemed to fuel Glenmuir’s resolve and Watson inevitably sealed his hat-trick and, by extension, the comeback when he lashed home from another weighted pass from Headly.

Spence almost made things interesting for Frome Technical at the end but Murray left his line well to deny the effort in time added.

Frome Technical’s Head coach, Cleighton Stephens, was disappointed with the loss, which he believes resulted from a lapse in concentration.

“I would say it came down to a lack of concentration because as you saw most of the goals that Glenmuir scored we basically didn’t use our head in the game so basically our mistakes cost us the game. We just didn’t adjust fast enough to the conditions when the rain came and we ended up paying for it,” Stephens said.

Saturday’s Results

Garvey Maceo 2, Central High 2

Glenmuir 4, Frome Technical 3

McGrath High 1, STETHS 1