Not only is basketball beginning, another big sport around town in the Winter Sports scene is soccer, and there's plenty of talent to behold at San Pedro, Port Of Los Angeles and Mary Star for their boys and girls programs.

San Pedro's boys will once again challenge for a Marine League championship, while Mary Star Of The Sea & Port Of Los Angeles both look improved and primed for league title hopes. All 3 girls soccer teams won a league title in 2014-2015, with San Pedro claiming a tenth straight Marine crown, and POLA making it all the way to the CIF State Division IV regional playoffs after falling short in the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division IV finals.

Here's a look at all six teams...

BOYS

SAN PEDRO – The Pirates had a season worthy of being the uncrowned Marine League champions, not losing a game in two meetings with eventual champion Banning of Wilmington, but their record of 9-8-5 overall, and 5-1-4 in league wasn’t enough in a first round loss to eventual champion El Camino Real in the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I playoffs.

Currently the Pirates are off to a 6-1 start, already with a solid win over POLA and winners of six straight, the best start thus far in Peter Hazdovac’s third year as head coach, and they’re doing it the hard way with three one-goal victories over Hawthorne, Inglewood and Beverly Hills.

San Pedro will be led by the likes of seniors Alex Palafox, Derek Diviak and Nico Scognamillo, sophomore Andres Rodriguez and juniors Jerry Solares and Bryan Tovar. Senior Jose Ponce is another key contributor as the Pirates will once again challenge Banning and Narbonne for Marine League supremacy, but Washington Prep was a thorn in San Pedro’s side by handing them their only league loss & one of their four ties.

MARY STAR - The Stars narrowly missed the CIF-Southern Section Division VII playoffs last season with a 9-8-2 overall record, plus going 5-4-1 in the ultra-competitive Camino Real League, but second-year coach Chris Guastella is bent on putting Mary Star back in postseason play, already starting off this year 5-1-1.

Newcomer Victor Garnier has been scoring at an alarming rate with a pair of hat tricks and 8 goals for the Stars, but senior leadership still remains the focal point with goalkeeper Nick DiLeva and defender Jarod Alves.

Juniors Xavier Martinez, Fernando Franco and Ervin Rodas-Lima will also be crucial to the future success of the Stars, who will be in the Camino Real League once again with four teams who made the playoffs a year ago, including defending champion St. Genevieve of Panorama City.

POLA - The Polar Bears brought back Vic Lopez to coach a squad that underachieved a season ago with a 10-10-3 overall record, also slumping to a 4-5-3 mark in the Crosstown League and forced to forfeit their CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division IV first round game at East Valley due to 10 players being academically ineligible.

Senior forward Giovanny Salazar is back and one of the most exciting players to watch out of the three schools, but you can’t forget about other senior leaders such as Conor Garcia at defender, and goalie Brandon Mercado.

Sophomore Brandon Zuniga, plus juniors Adolfo Mora and Jose Rubio will also be key for the Polar Bears, whose toughest tests in league will come from Dymally, Animo South Los Angeles and Foshay Learning Center.

GIRLS

SAN PEDRO – The mother-daughter tandem of Crystal Valdes and Chatelaine Ansaldi have taken over the reigns for the ten-time defending Marine League champions, who went 18-7-4 overall, 9-0-1 in league while bowing out in the CIF-LACS Division I quarterfinals at home to Taft of Woodland Hills.

Junior forward Ryann Lozano returns to terrorize opposing defenses, as she scored 24 goals last season en route to an All-Marine League selection. Sophomore goalie Carlene Luna is an All-City Division I returning selection and is very skilled. Other players to watch for includes junior midfielder Maddie Villela, senior forward Heather Carlton, senior defenders Paige Kielbasa and Lauren Antonelos, senior midfielder Rianni Gonzales and junior defender Maddie Villela.

Freshman forward Samantha Martinez has already excelled in one game this year, scoring a game-winner with three minutes to play in a 2-1 victory over Cleveland of Reseda. Junior midfielder Sydney Engel and sophomore midfielder Mia Lecesse are both dangerous as well.

San Pedro will once again be tested by Narbonne in the Marine League as it appears to again be just a two-school race, so the January 20 meeting at San Pedro, and the February 5 rematch at Narbonne will go a long way to determine who comes out of them as the league champion this season.

If that isn't enough, News Pilot 2014 Goalie Of The Year in junior Taylor Miller returns, but then there's freshman Carlene Luna, who had 17 saves in San Pedro's 2-1 upset victory over Palos Verdes last Friday in the South Torrance Holiday Tournament.

MARY STAR – A slow start appeared to have the youthful Stars dead to rights last season, but they were able to right their ship once Santa Fe League play began, and they came out of it with their 12^th league championship, finishing 12-8 overall and 9-1 in league, losing in the first round of the CIF-SS Division VII playoffs to St. Genevieve.

Coach Shain Rossi has a team capable of repeating as league champion, and got a bonafide future star on the rise with freshman midfielder Rose Amalfitano, who already has 6 goals on a pair of hat tricks.

Juniors Taylor Garcia and Kaylee Rucker are the team captains who both have a fearless attitude and always ready to step in and plug up any holes. Garcia plays both goalie and midfield, but sophomore Katin Latka has shown tremendous improvement at goalie as well. Rucker is a midfielder and also doubles up as a standout cheerleader on Mary Star’s excellent cheer squad.

Sophomore Yicell Cortez, junior defender Yesenia Tahuite, junior midfielder Gabriella Ferrandino, and senior defenders Alyssa DiMassa and Aileen Rangel will also be key for the Stars, who get an additional boost come January 2016 with the addition of junior defender Shawnie Carolla, a POLA transfer.

St. Bernard of Playa Del Rey and Serra of Gardena appear to be the top challengers to the Stars’ Santa Fe League throne.

POLA - Fourth-year coach Javier Torres has another strong team on the rise, and the Polar Bears appear to be the favorite in CIF-LACS Division IV, a possible fact even more pronounced now that perennial tormentor Los Angeles CES, who knocked off POLA 2-1 in overtime of last year’s final, has moved up to Division III.

So it looks like it’s either ‘championship or bust’ for the Polar Bears, who return ions of experience and a bevy of new freshman talent.

Senior goalie Emily Haugen and sensational sophomore forward Briana Mancilla, who scored a phenomenal 32 goals last season, are both returning All-City Division IV selections from last year’s team, and Mancilla has not missed a beat, scoring 9 goals as POLA is off to a current 5-0 start.

POLA unfortunately has been ravaged by injury early, as they have not had any playing time yet for senior midfielder Maddi Pepper. Outstanding junior forward Anna Vidovich is also sidelined for the time being, but the Polar Bears, who went 22-4-2 overall, 11-0-1 in the Crosstown League a season ago, have marched on and remain undaunted.

Daisy Garcia is also back for one final run at the title, as the senior goalie/defender will no doubt give it her all. Other key players to look out for includes junior midfielder Celina Campbell, and the junior defensive trio of Alyssa Medrano, Taylor Razevich-Temblador and Kamryn Cardoza. A lot of first-year players have infused new life, as freshmen Amber Lopez, Kendall Dimson, Jasmine Ramirez and sophomore Jamie Iniguez all get their quality looks on the field.

Harbor Teacher Prep of Wilmington (who won the CIF-LACS Division V title last season), Foshay Learning Center and Bright Star of Los Angeles will all look to dethrone POLA’s five-year undefeated reign atop the Crosstown League.