San Pedro High girls soccer senior midfielder Joanna Perone is your consummate soccer stud.

She plays hard, she is driven and determined,  and she's willing to throw her body into harm's way for that loose ball no matter what comes at her.

On occasion, Perone is also willing take the necessary shot needed for the Pirates to succeed.

More often than not, she delivers.

The 17-year old three-year veteran is also in Perone's own words: "a full-blooded Sicilian". Now you know why it's no wonder why she's tough as nails on the soccer field.

Perone is a two-time All-Marine League selection who has scored 10 goals to go also with seven assists in her three years, including two goals thus far this season for San Pedro, currently 2-3-1 overall due to a demanding and challenging nonleague schedule.

One of Perone's most memorable goals came in a crucial Marine League game at Carson High during her sophomore season, where she blasted in the game-winning goal off a rebounded shot from former teammate Courtney Bradford for a 2-1 San Pedro victory. Perone had 6 goals and three assists during her first year on varsity.

During her junior season, Perone only scored two goals, but one of them was another clutch goal that forged a tie with rival Narbonne of Harbor City.

So far, Perone, who boasts a robust 4.3 GPA, is interested in a wide range of universities. applying to the likes of to CSU Fullerton, CSU Northridge, CSU Dominguez Hills, UC San Diego, UCLA, Rockford College (a small private university in Illinois), and St. John's University in New York.

Perone's will to win alone should be enough to consider San Pedro the favorite for an eighth straight Marine League championship.

League play begins on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 against Narbonne at San Pedro High.