Host California-South won eight of the 16 age-group titles at the Region IV (West) finals in Snickers U.S. Youth Soccer championships June 20-26 at the Kern County Soccer Park in Bakersfield (under-16 through under-19) and the San Bernardino CYSA-South Soccer Complex in San Bernardino (under-12 through under-15). Champions in the U-16 through U-19 divisions advance to the Snickers US Youth Soccer National Championships July 20-25 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The La Jolla Nomads led the California-South effort, winning three boys titles (U-13, U-14 and U-19). The U-19 Nomads will attempt to win their third national championship in four years after edging last year’s U-18 regional champion, Colorado Rush Nike, 2-1 on Brandon McNeil’s goal nine minutes into overtime. The U-14 Nomads upended last year’s under-13 champion, Santa Rosa (Calif.) United Heat, 2-1, while Ryan Guy scored both goals in the U-13s’ 2-1 win over Cal-South rival North Huntington Beach. The Claremont (Calif.) Stars U-17 boys, last year’s U-16 national runners-up, earned their second consecutive regional crown and fourth overall with a 4-2 victory over Colorado Rush Nike. San Diego’s San Dieguito Surf U-16 girls also notched back-to-back titles and their third regional title with a 1-0 triumph over the De Anza Dynamite (Cupertino, Calif.), the Surf’s fifth shutout in six tournament games. The Mission Viejo (Calif.) Mirage U-18 girls won their first regional title since 1993 with a 2-0 win over FC Portland (Ore.) Yellow behind Erin Misaki’s two goals. Three other Colorado Rush Nike teams claimed championships (U-16 boys, U-13 girls and U-17 girls). The Rush U-17 girls knocked off last year’s U-16 regional champion, San Ramon (Calif.) Crunch, 2-1 in overtime. The Devastation (Bountiful, Utah) U-19 girls became that state’s first girls team to advance to the national championship by edging the Las Virgenes Blazers (Los Angeles) 4-3 in penalty kicks for a 4-3 triumph. Devastation trailed 3-1 in the second half before goals by Jordan Kriger in the 73rd minute and Rachelle Dixon with five minutes left in regulation tied the score. The Classic FC Bandidos (Albuquerque) Under-15 boys claimed New Mexico’s second regional title ever with a 3-0 victory over the San Dieguito Surf. The Far West is arguably the most competitive of the four regional tournaments. This region has produced 24 national champions this decade, the most of any region. Region II (Midwest) teams have earned 15 age-group titles, followed by Region I (East) with 13 and Region III (South) with 10.