CdM's Brahs becomes goal-oriented

Coming into the Corona del Mar High girls' soccer program as a freshman, Ally Brahs definitely was going to get on the field.

All Coach Bryan Middleton had to do was look at her size and her ability to know he had a special player.

Some of the best players are ones who have more of a fluid role, ones who can play all over the pitch. That was definitely true for Brahs.

"She was physically gifted enough, even as a freshman, that I played her at defensive midfield and forward throughout the whole season," Middleton said. "She kind of filled in spots as they were needed throughout the season."

This winter Brahs, now a junior, has clearly thrived in an offensive role. She scored a team-high 16 goals for the Sea Kings, whose season ended Thursday with a 1-0 loss to top-seeded San Clemente in a CIF Southern Section Division I quarterfinal match.

Yet, Brahs was versatile for the Sea Kings. That's why after she scored in the 48th minute in Tuesday's second-round win over Los Alamitos, Middleton moved her back to a defensive midfielder role. Later in the match, she converted the first penalty kick as CdM won the dramatic shootout, 8-7.

Two days later, Middleton put her in the same defensive midfield spot to mark San Clemente's top playmaker, senior Frannie Coxe. The Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, who has played for the Newport Beach-based Slammers Futbol Club for nine years, doesn't mind assignments like these.

"In club, I actually play defense," Brahs said. "It's fun being able to attack and score goals. I feel like I just step up where the team needs me."

Brahs can handle her duties; it's no secret that she is a top-level athlete. She has letters in four different CdM varsity sports, also including lacrosse, track and field (high jump) and basketball. That freshman year, Brahs played varsity basketball and soccer in the same season.

"That was so crazy," she said. "It was ridiculous. I don't know how I did that."

Sticking with soccer has proven to be a wise move. Brahs committed to play at the University of Washington in November after also taking recruiting visits to Harvard, Stanford, Virginia, USC, UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine.

The first two schools on that list shouldn't be a surprise, as she also carries a 4.2 weighted grade-point average.