Finals match ups set at US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships

Scottsdale 96 Blackhawks Burke (AZ) wins the Under-19 Boys final.
La Roca (UT) sends four teams to the final

Boise, Idaho (Via US Youth Soccer) – Teams have earned berths in the final matches at the 2015 US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships, in Boise, Idaho. The winners of tomorrow’s games in the Under-13 through Under-19 age groups qualify for the US Youth Soccer National Championships, held July 21-26 at the Mohawk Soccer Complex in Tulsa, Okla.

Under-14-18 Boys and Girls matches will be stremed online. Links to those matches can be found here

The Under-19 Boys final occurred this morning with Scottsdale 96 Blackhawks Buke (AZ) defeating defending region and national champ Santa Barbara SC White (CA-S) in kicks from the mark after a scoreless 120 minutes.

Despite being a man down for the majority of the second half and overtime, Scottsdale was able to keep a high-powered offense scoreless thanks to a superb performance by the Scottsdale back line and keeper, Phillip Mourikes. Both teams converted their first five kicks, but Mourikes blocked Santa Barbara captain Robert Landeros’ shot to secure the title, and a trip to the National Championships, where they will play for the James P. Mcguire Cup, the oldest trophy in youth sports dating back to 1935.

“It’s a special trophy. It is the oldest in the game, and you can’t ask for much more of a prize at the end of the tunnel, and I feel like we just went through the toughest part of it,” Scottsdale head coach, Adam Burke said. “The prestige of the trophy is something the boys are aware of; they know the history. We have seen the trophy; it is what is talked about most at nationals. We are going to try and represent Region IV and go after it.”

2015 US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships Finals Preview

Under-12 Boys: Seattle United 02 Copa (WA) vs. Total Futbol Academy (CA-S)

The Under-12 Boys final features two teams that have won all of their matches up to this point in Seattle United 02 Copa (WA) and Total Futbol Academy (CA-S). Both teams persevered through intense semifinals matches as Seattle United needed kicks from the mark in order to beat Real Colorado National (CO), and Total Futbol Academy (CA-S) defeated Sereno West 03 Chelsea (AZ) off a last-minute goal from Mauricio Cuevas.

Under-13 Boys: LVSA 02 Red (NV) vs. EC Real Galaxy FC 01 (CA-N)

The Under-13 Boys final will be a rematch of an opening day game between LVSA 02 Red (NV) and EC Real Galaxy FC 01 (CA-N), where LVSA won 2-1 off a late goal from Antino Lopez. LVSA fought through a pair of one-goal wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals, while EC Real Galaxy went through two Pateadores teams in the knockout stage.

Under-14 Boys: SJ Earthquakes PDA 01 (CA-N) vs. Sparta 01 JK (UT)
Two teams from Group D will face off in the Under-14 Boys final as SJ Earthquakes PDA 01 (CA-N) will take on Sparta 01 JK (UT). The match will display two players who are tied for second in goals scored with four in SJ Earthquakes’ Fabian Rodriguez and Sparta’s Casey Lambert.

Under-15 Boys: Sereno West 00 Chelsea (AZ) vs. Surf Aguilar (CA-S)

The Under-15 Boys final will feature Sereno West 00 Chelsea playing Surf Aguilar (CA-S). Sereno brings an offense that has failed to scores less than two goals in any match this tournament, while Surf Aguilar is fresh off a semifinals victory over Rio Rapids SC 00 (NM) that was won on kicks from the mark.

Under-16 Boys: Seattle United 98 Copa (WA) vs. Albion SC Garton (CA-S)
Albion SC Garton (CA-S) edged out a 1-0 win over Seattle United 98 Copa (WA) on the second day of group play, and the Washington squad will look for revenge in the Under-16 Boys final.  Arturo Soltero, who scored the match’s only goal the first time these teams player, will look to increase his goal total as he is already the group’s leading scorer with six goals.

Under-17 Boys: Santa Barbara SC White (CA-S) vs. South San Jose PAC Indios (CA-N)
After going 1-0-2 with four goals in the group stage, Santa Barbara SC White (CA-S) exploded for 13 goals in just two knockout round games to secure a trip to the Under-17 Boys final. The two-time US Youth Soccer National Champions will seek a fifth regional title, but they will have to go through South San Jose PAC Indios (CA-N), who took out Santa Barbara’s 2014 regional finals opponent, SC del Sol 98 Colavecchia (AZ) in the quarterfinals before defeating DMS 11 Academy (CA-S) 1-0 in the semifinals. Both teams will advance to the National Championships due to Santa Barbara already qualifying via the US Youth Soccer National League.

Under-18 Boys: LVSA 97 Red (NV) vs. FC Golden State White (CA-S)

LVSA 97 Red squares off against FC Golden State White (CA-S) in a matchup between the previous two region champions. The defending champion, LVSA 97 Red had the top four leading scorers last year, but this year FC Golden State’s Gabriel Costa leads all scorers on the boy’s side, and is tied for the most in the tournament with nine goals. Both teams will make a return trip to the National Championships due to LVSA already qualifying via the National League.

Under-12 Girls: Legends FC 02 (CA-S) vs. SD Surf Academy 02/03 (CA-S)
The Under-12 Girls final will be a California South matchup between Legends FC 02 (CA-S) and SD Surf Academy 02/03 (CA-S). Surf’s powerful offense (17 goals in five matches) will take on Legends’ stingy defense (two goals conceded in five games).

Under-13 Girls: So Cal Blues Baker (CA-S) vs. Eagles SC (CA-S)
Like the Under-12 Girls final, the Under-13 Girls final will feature two teams from California South in defending region champs So Cal Blues Baker (CA-S) and Eagles SC (CA-S). Both teams sport very impressive goal differentials as So Cal Blues has scored 28 and only conceded one goal, while Eagles has scored 12 and have yet to concede a goal.

Under-14 Girls: Legends FC Gold (CA-S) vs. Rush 01 (HI)
The Under-14 Girls will be a match between Legends FC Gold (CA-S) and Rush 01 (HI) as Rush will look to become the first Hawaii team to win the Region IV Championships since Leahi Premier (HI) won the Under-18 Girls final in 2013. It took Legends until the semifinals to concede their first goals, and Rush’s Kaile Halvorsen and Bree Fuller, who are tied for first and fourth respectively in goals scored for the age group, will look to add to that total.

Under-15 Girls: La Roca Premier PO (UT) vs. Carlsbad Elite 99 (CA-S)
The Under-15 Girls final will feature two teams that have already qualified to the National Championships through the National League in La Roca Premier (UT) and Carlsbad Elite 99 (CA-S). La Roca put forth an impressive knockout round performance winning 8-1 in the quarterfinals and 6-2 in the semifinals behind five goals from Under-17 U.S. National Team player Olivia Wade, while Carlsbad’s road to the finals includes a pair of one-goal wins. Since both teams have already qualified to the National Championships, a third-place game between Palo Alto 00 Blue (CA-N) and Albion SC White (CA-S) will take place at 8:00 a.m. on field 7 to determine who will advance to nationals as the Region IV Representative.

Under-16 Girls: La Roca FD (UT) vs. Arsenal FC S Bowers (CA-S)
La Roca FD (UT) and Arsenal FC S Bowers (CA-S) will play in the Under-16 Girls finals. Arsenal’s Danielle Clark leads all scorers in the age group with eight goals and will look to get past a La Roca team that has only conceded two goals in the tournament.

Under-17 Girls: LaRoca Premier (UT) vs. 98 Celtic FC Premier (UT)
The Under-17 Girls final will be an all-Utah final as LaRoca Premier (UT) will take on 98 Celtic FC Premier (UT). Both teams had dominant knockout rounds as LaRoca advanced to the finals by scoring seven goals in two games while conceding none, and Celtic advanced by scoring 12 goals and not giving up one in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Under-18 Girls: La Roca PO (UT) vs. Rio Rapids SC 97 (NM)
La Roca PO (UT) and Rio Rapids SC 97 (NM) will meet in the Under-18 Girls final for a second time this tournament as the teams already met on day two resulting in a 3-0 win for Rio. La Roca will look to reverse that result in the finals after defeating the Eastside FC 96 Red (WA) 4-1 in the semifinals.

Complete scores from today’s action

Under-12 Girls

Under-12 Boys

Under-13 Girls

Under-13 Boys

Under-14 Girls

Under-14 Boys

Under-15 Girls

Under-15 Boys

Under-16 Girls

Under-16 Boys

Under-17 Boys

Under-17 Girls

Under-18 Boys

Under-18 Girls

Under-19 Boys