No team likes to be labeled an underachiever, but after finishing in third place in the Pioneer League and losing in the first round of the CIF playoffs with a talented group of players, South Torrance coach Chad Lagerway couldn't help but feel his team should have done better.

This season, with six returning starters leading the way, the Spartans look to make the most out of a talented group that also boasts a cohesiveness it may have lacked last season.

"It's a good group that pulls for each other; they mix together well and like to play together," Lagerway said. "We don't really have any standout stars, but we have a solid group across the board."

The returning starters for South, which is ranked eighth in the CIF Southern Section's Division IV, include junior midfielders Jason Bahramian and Jimi Duffin, senior defenders Tyler Rochford and Steven Henges, senior forward Brett Fournier and senior goalkeeper Max Young.

Every returning starter is capable of having a big season. Duffin recorded a hat trick in South's 4-1 win over Hawthorne earlier this season, and Lagerway expects Fournier to be a consistent scorer.

The Spartans boast a couple of first-year starters who will play key positions. Senior Riki Yamauchi steps in at center midfielder and senior John Mota starts at center fullback.

"We're looking for Mota to run the show back there and settle things," Lagerway said.

Freshman midfielder Graeme Mathers and freshman forward Sota Maefawa could make an immediate impact.

The Spartans expect to contend for the league title, but they know capturing it is no easy feat.

"Anybody can knock anybody off in this league," Lagerway said.

Among the teams expecting to be in the hunt for the league title with South include North Torrance, which finished second in the Pioneer League last year.

The Saxons have eight returning starters, including junior Andre Turoldo, who had 10 goals and seven assists last season and was named the Pioneer League's Offensive Player of the Year. Turoldo also was an all-league and all-CIF pick. Senior Louie Rodriguez also returns to bolster the forward line.

Seniors Arnold Chun, Ryan Frasquillo and Michael Rios return to the midfield. North's defense looks solid with 6-foot-3 sophomore goalkeeper Vince Paldino returning. Paldino had six shutouts last season as a freshman. He'll get help on the back line from a group of returning senior starters that includes Rudy Barajas, Gabe Gomez and Manny Placiencia.

Torrance, the reigning league champion, graduated 14 seniors last season, and expects to be clawing for a CIF playoff spot with a young squad.

Torrance was an exceptional defensive team last season, when it gave up just 12 goals in 26 games and allowed more than one goal in a game only once. But the entire defense is gone.

Torrance has four returning starters - forwards Greg Barrera and Kevin Pereira, along with Edgar Gonzalez and Kyle Condie. Gonzalez, the MVP of the Pioneer League as a center midfielder last season, moves to sweeper. Condie steps in as the stopper to help give Torrance some experience on the back line.

Torrance has four freshman and two sophomores on the roster, more youth than Coach Eric Spotts has ever had before.

"We're inexperienced, but talented," Spotts said. "We should be better by the middle of the year."

Of the remaining Pioneer League teams, El Segundo, Lawndale and Centennial, the Eagles appear to have the best chance to surprise some teams. El Segundo boasts eight returning starters, including senior sweeper Justin Chow, senior forwards Sean Groves and Vincent Barraza, and senior midfielders Austin Rondash and Joe Fernandez.

Chow currently is out with a broken finger, but expects to return to the starting lineup in two weeks.

"He's unquestionably our best player, and he's a team captain," El Segundo coach Alan Kelley said. "It's a big loss when he's out."

When he returns, El Segundo expects to contend for a CIF playoff spot. But the competition is stiff.

"The three Torrance teams look like the biggest competition," Kelley said. "South Torrance could be a step above, but you never know, they didn't finish first last year."