Albuquerque, NM – 216 teams down, 16 to go.

After the wreckage of Saturday’s semifinals was removed from the field, we are left with a glitzy, gleaming set of 32 teams ready to play in Sunday’s final. Of course, half of them will lose, and if the semifinals are any indication, they won’t go down without a fight.

But first – let’s take a look at how Saturday’s semifinals shook out. It’s time for a little taste of the good, the bad, and yes, the ugly.

Rocky Mountains/Southwest:

U17 B: Elite FC Gladiators 4, Gilbert Arsenal 93 Premier 0

The Gladiators, the only team representing the host city of Albuquerque at this stage in the draw, needed a half to get their engine going, but took over in a hurry in the second period.

Forward Nathanael Pacheco scored two goals and central midfielder Nicolo Muniz was sensational. He was in the middle of everything, sparking both of Pacheco’s goals as well as teammate Santiago Meza’s, and was rewarded with a goal of his own to seal the deal in extra time.

Arsenal had a playmaker in Ari Sanchez, as well as a great presence in the back in Tanner Clay, but the Gladiator midfield was too good on the ball, making the game look easy to clinch a spot in the finals.

U16 G: Colorado Rush Nike 1, SD Surf White 0

In this collision of star-studded rosters, neither team managed to get the edge in a battle dominated by defense. But something had to give – and in the 55th minute, it did.

Mary Schwappach of Rush made a slicing run into the Surf box, where she was chopped down by defender Maya Theuer, whose physical style rubbed this referee the wrong way. Theuer’s National Team mate Lindsay Horan stepped up for the penalty, and cleanly hit it inside the right post. That was all Rush needed to move on.   

U15 G: Real Colorado National 3, SD Surf White 2

Megan Abutin and Victoria Manfredonia scored for Surf, but the combination of Alex Anthony, Janine Becky and Katie Leonard was enough to get Real a thrilling 3-2 win.

Southern California:

U17 B: West Coast FC 3, United FC 1

West Coast was too much for United to handle from the very beginning, as Juan Gutierrez and Mitchell Alverez scored to give West Coast an early 2-0 lead. United managed to creep back into the game in the second half, cutting the score to 2-1 in the 70th minute, but West Coast countered moments later.

Lucas Dall’orso made a fantastic move as he took on three United defenders, maintained balance and unleashed a laser from 20 yards to secure a huge victory for West Coast FC.

U16 G: Legends FC 1, Slammers FC 0

This game, between two So Cal teams very familiar with each other, was a wide-open contest where wing-play was crucial. Slammers Katie Donahue, Makenzie Doniak and Aubrey Baker each made impressive runs to threaten the Legends goal, but goalkeeper Alicen Wright was steady and would not budge.

The Legends showed their fire-power too, and forward Kodi Lavrusky burst through the Slammers’ back line to score the game’s only goal.

Northern California:

U15 B: Mt Hamilton PAC Tigres 3, Eastside FC Red 2 (OT)

A game that provided a fascinating contrast in styles led to a battle for which regulation did not provide enough time.

Eastside was deliberate and methodical as they worked the ball up the field and got goals from Shane Alexander and Jason Twaddle. Mt. Hamilton, meanwhile, used a quick, technical, fast-break oriented attack that netted 3 goals, one each from Andoni Trejo, Lorenzo Vazquez and Cesar Garcia, which was enough to win the game in overtime.

U15 G: Mustang Blast 4, FWU Reign Purple 0

The Blast, defending National Champions, lived up to their reputation by picking apart FWU Reign to move to the regional finals for the second consecutive year. Ryan Walker and Morgan Idso scored the game’s first two goals, effectively taking the wind out of Reign’s sails, and sending Blast on to the final.  

U14 G: Mustang Fury 1, Neusport FC 96 Green 1 (Fury wins 3-1 in PKs)

Forward Nikki Romero scored to put Neusport up early and central midfielder Lauren Kaskie was everywhere, but Fury managed to keep the deficit at one by halftime.

Energized in the second half, Fury came out firing. Winger Haley Lukas nearly scored on a shot that bounced off the post, and Alessandra Dutto was finally rewarded for her great work on the ball with a goal to tie it up before the game could end.

Fury carried their momentum into the shootout, while Neusport floundered – converting only one of their attempts – to send Fury to the final.

Pacific Northwest:

U14 B: Crossfire Premier 1, Santa Clara Sporting 95 1 (Crossfire wins 7-6 in PKs)

The most entertaining match of the day saw three Crossfire players – and the head coach – given red cards, and still come from behind to win.

Daniel Galvan scored to put Santa Clara ahead early, but despite their three-player disadvantage, Crossfire somehow mounted a comeback and sent the game to overtime, where the game held scoreless.

In the shootout, backup goalkeeper Tyler Visten had the performance of his life, blocking four shots (none of them gimmes, either) to send his over-achieving team to the finals.

U14 B: WSM Galacticos 2, South Coast Bayern 1

Galacticos benefitted from an early Bayern own goal and a nice strike from Christopher Michaelson to get the 2-1 advantage, and though Bayern made a furious rally and dominated the second half, they simply could not finish and let Galacticos escape with the win.

Region IV Championship Matches - Played Sunday:

U12 Boys: Arsenal Co Gold vs. Santa Barbara SC

U12 Girls: Arsenal FC vs. Real Co National

U13 Boys: FC Las Vegas vs. LAFC Chelsea

U13 Girls: San Diego Surf White vs. Leahi 97 Premier

U14 Boys: Crossfire Premier-McCormick vs. WSM Galacticos

U14 Girls: Foothill MVLA Lightning vs. Mustang Fury

U15 Boys: Mt Hamilton PAC Tigres vs. Boise Nationals Barcelona

U15 Girls: Mustang Blast vs. Real Co National

U16 Boys: Sereno 94 White vs. Slammers FC

U16 Girls: Co Rush Nike vs. Legends FC

U17 Boys: West Coast FC vs. Elite FC Gladiators

U17 Girls: Real So Cal White vs. De Anza Force 92 Blue

U18 Boys: ESUFC 91B Liverpool Red vs. Inter FC 92 Premier

U18 Girls: Laguna Hill Eclipse vs. Co Storm Acad. Copa

U19 Boys: NM Rush Red Star vs. Westside Metro Internationals

U19 Girls: So. Alameda County CA Northstars vs. Slammers FC