LANGLEY — Soccer is a contact sport to Brianna Haimes.

South Whidbey’s senior center defender remembers one play from the girls soccer season well.

The Falcons were hosting the King’s Knights, one of the top teams in the Cascade Conference. King’s defeated South Whidbey the previous two seasons Haimes was on varsity. The Knights didn’t just beat the Falcons, they trounced them 23 goals to 1 since 2009.

Haimes was ready to change things. She wanted to set an aggressive, tough defensive tone.

The Knights got the message, or at least the girl she threw to the field for the first high school yellow card of the 17-year-old’s career.

“I was sick of her grabbing onto my arm,” Haimes said. “So I grab onto her shoulder and arm and throw her down.”

“I’m pretty proud of that. It was something I wanted to experience in my soccer career before it was over,” she added.

Haimes is not naturally violent — she wants to be a physical therapist and plans to pursue a physical therapy doctorate. Contact — shoving, bumping, hitting, kicking — drew her exclusively to soccer.

“I don’t like how in volleyball you never touch the other team,” Haimes said. “I’m an aggressive girl, so I want to get in there and fight to win.”

Receiving a yellow card for her aggression was one of the things she had not accomplished in her career. Haimes knew she controlled the outcome of this unofficial goal that sidelined her for part of that match, a 3-1 loss.

Being named to the second team all-Cascade Conference as a defender was another first for Haimes.

“I was so surprised, because only one of the girls (Haimes) from South Whidbey got it,” Haimes said. “We didn’t make it far and our record wasn’t too great. I’m surprised other coaches recognized me and thought I was good.”

Ben Rusch, her coach, was not surprised at her nomination.

At the start of the season, Rusch considered using her as a forward. That idea was quickly dismissed.

“Once I realized how important she was in the back, I put that thought out of my mind,” Rusch said.

Part of the reason may have been exposure. The Falcon defense had lots of goals to defend, 36 in conference play. This season, King’s scored three goals in each match, the lowest since she’s been a Falcon.

“Without a player like Brianna, I feel they would have scored a lot more goals on us,” Rusch said.

Haimes’ success, and then the recognition of it, has been years in the making.

In her sophomore season, she was an honorable mention midfielder. Last year, she was an honorable mention defender. Finally, she made one of the all-conference teams, for which she credits her coaches, including her club team’s head coach Tony Carrillo of Legacy Football Club in Arlington.

This season under Rusch in his first year as a head coach was different because he is a defender on his indoor team and played defense for the Falcons.

“He is a defender, too, so he knows how to play my position,” Haimes said of Rusch. “He taught me what I didn’t know from other coaches. He was nice and friendly and never got down on us.”

Her high school coach said Haimes has a natural talent for defense, and required little technical advice.

“You can only be so good, and then it’s just a natural thing,” Rusch said. “And she is just a natural.”

One of the qualities that may make her a natural center back is her desire to stop an opponent. Rather than score goals, she wants to prevent them.

“I like that I’m one of the last people to stop someone from scoring,” Haimes said. “It’s just fun to be back there and not let them score.”

She’s had lots of time to prepare to lead the defense. Since seventh grade, Haimes has been a defender.

This season, Haimes was one of four senior co-captains who guided a young team with plenty of new players. Haimes and senior defender Amanda Lutsock helped the other defenders, most of whom were playing varsity for the first time, learn to position themselves and read the offense.

“She was able to read the balls being played behind the defense and put some good hits on the forwards,” Rusch said.

Her career began as a midfielder when she was 6 years old. Haimes admits she was far from worthy of all-conference awards then.

“I wasn’t the best defender,” Haimes said. “I always stabbed and stuff. I got better at channeling and got better at waiting for the ball. I’m more patient now than I was.”

When she isn’t playing soccer for the high school or for her club team over town, she’s probably working as a referee at matches in Everett, Mukilteo or Lynnwood. Oh, and she is an assistant coach for the Langley Middle School Cougars varsity girls soccer team, too.

As for her other hobbies, her life is a bit like a soccer match late in the second half — it’s on a timer.

“What free time?” she asked.

Her schedule is a bit full between soccer and school since she is enrolled at Skagit Valley Community College through the state’s Running Start program. Haimes is on track to graduate high school with her two-year Associate of Arts degree with a cumulative grade point average hovering around 3 .5.

She hopes to play soccer in college for either a Division II or Division III school. She is interested in a school in Oregon and all the colleges and universities in Washington, as long as she has a chance to play soccer.

“I don’t want my soccer career to be over,” Haimes said. “I’m good enough to play in college, but it will also just be a good challenge for me.”

The season ended differently than Haimes wanted. The worst part, though, was that it ended at all.

“It is sad that I won’t be able to ever play with these girls again,” Haimes said.

She took pride in the way the seniors led the team this season, devoid of attitude problems and as she said, “drama.” Last year, the Falcon girls soccer team finished with a 2-12 conference record. Some players were suspended and others quit. Thanks to a new coach and a new group of seniors, things changed in 2011.

“We didn’t want drama this year. We just wanted to have fun with it,” Haimes said.

When attitudes soured, she addressed it.

In a match against Sultan, Haimes said junior midfielder Paige Farmer was injured and frustrated that she couldn’t shoot the penalty kick. Haimes told Farmer the team knew she was a great player who was faster than every defender, but they needed her to be healthy.

“We focused on the positives and not the negatives this season,” Haimes said.

The positives came mostly from the players’ attitudes. Haimes also was proud to achieve the team’s goal to improve last year’s record, which the Falcons did by winning four conference matches and six overall.

As for the future, Haimes is waiting to see what comes her way, just like she did on the field. Then, she’ll be aggressive and make her move.