CIF-LOS ANGELES CITY SECTION GIRLS

The Team to Beat: Huntington Park

The Spartans were a perfect 8-0 against its city rivals en route to the first-ever Los Angeles City Section girls championship last year. Huntington Park blew out its conference foes, winning every game by at least a five-goal margin.

This year, the team will have a bit of a different look at the top, as former players Marilyn Villagran and Elizabeth Reyes have taken over as co-head coaches for the departed Kate Marks, who has left to take over at Beverly Hills. Villagran and Reyes played for Marks and were seniors on the Spartans’ 2008 team that went 11-4 against Southern Section competition.

Senior middie Vanessa Medina is one of the top players in the section. She’ll be joined by junior middie Tania Gonzalez, senior middie Marisol Arteaga and senior defender Mabel Sanchez, all of whom will lead a team trying to extend its perfect record against section opponents.

Contenders: Palisades Charter

The Dolphins have the best chance of anybody to knock off defending champion Huntington Park. Palisades Charter graduated just five seniors off last year’s second-place team, and it is widely considered among the favorites in the city. Head coach Juliet Mittleman did not return voicemail messages seeking information for this preview.

Sleeper: Manual Arts

The Toilers should be the best of the rest in the section, even though they only bring back four starters. Senior middie Mayra Chilin and senior defender Lucia Rumualdo will lead the team.

Top Players: Marisol Arteaga, MF, Huntington Park; Mayra Chilin, MF, Manual Arts; Tania Gonzalez, MF, Huntington Park; Lucerita Jimenez, MF, Jordan; Soledad Martinez, Def., Jordan; Vanessa Medina, MF, Huntington Park; Lucia Rumualdo, Def., Manual Arts; Mabel Sanchez, Def., Huntington Park.

Preseason Top 5: 1. Huntington Park, 2. Palisades Charter, 3. Manual Arts, 4. Birmingham, 5. Jordan.

Notes: Birmingham anticipates it will have several players returning from its 2009 team, however, as of late December the school still did not have a head coach in place....Jordan graduated eight seniors from its winless 2009 team. Jordan will be led by senior middie Lucerita Jimenez and junior defender Soledad Martinez, who will be trying to lead the Bulldogs to their first lacrosse win, boys or girls, in school history. The boys and girls programs combined to go 0-23 in their first year last season.