The Glenbard East boys soccer team celebrated a championship after its 2-1 win over Glenbard West on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Lombard. The Rams captured the 2026 Glenbard Cup title with their come-from-behind victory over the Hilltoppers.
The Glenbard Cup is an annual competition between the four District 87 boys soccer teams. Glenbard East won the title in the event’s inaugural year of 2019. There was no tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Glenbard West then held a lock on the Glenbard Cup, winning it five straight years from 2021 to 2025.
The Rams put themselves in position to win this year’s title after beating Glenbard North 1-0 at Camera Park in Glendale Heights on Sept. 10. Glenbard East added another win over a District 87 opponent when it defeated Glenbard South 1-0 in a Sept. 15 Upstate Eight Conference East Division match in Lombard.
Glenbard West took a 1-0 lead in Saturday’s match when it scored a goal off of a long throw-in with 32:04 remaining in the first half. The Rams evened the score about 10 minutes later, when senior Kevin Ramirez launched a free kick from near the middle of the field, more than 50 yards from the goal. A Hilltopper about 13 yards in front of the goal jumped to head the ball, which caromed into the net. Ramirez was credited with the goal, which tied the score at 1-1 with 22:22 left in the opening half.
Glenbard East senior Erick Barrera delivered the winning goal when he drilled a shot into the net with 12:39 to play in the second half. Barrera was about 20 yards away from the goal when he launched his shot, which sailed over the Glenbard West goalkeeper’s outstretched right hand and into an upper corner of the goal.
The Rams held off a strong charge from Glenbard West during the closing minutes of the match. The Hilltoppers put the ball in front of the goal during the frenetic closing seconds, but Glenbard East senior goalkeeper Viktor Navarro, who made five saves in the match, grabbed the ball in heavy traffic to close out the victory.
“The focus for us is about trying to play some better soccer against a really quality side,” said Glenbard East coach Josh Adler after the Rams hoisted the Glenbard Cup trophy following their win over the Hilltoppers. “It was a really good match for us to see where we stand.”
Glenbard East raised its overall season record to 6-3-2 with Saturday’s win. Glenbard West’s record fell to 10-4 with the loss.
Four days before playing Glenbard West, the Rams battled Downers Grove South to a scoreless tie in Downers Grove. Navarro made four saves in the Sept. 22 tie.
The Rams entered this week with an Upstate Eight Conference East Division record of 1-0-1. This week’s schedule includes division matches with Riverside Brookfield and Ridgewood, along with an Oct. 1 home match against Willowbrook.
