After just a two-win season a year ago, the Galion varsity boys soccer team has plenty to prove heading into the 2024 season. But with a solid group of returning contributors, seventh-year head coach Eric Palmer believes the pieces are falling into place for the Tigers to improve on last season’s shortcomings.

“We had roster turnover from the year before, and with the team two years prior, those were two really strong classes,” Palmer told the Inquirer. “It was just kind of a rebuilding year. We had to replace the whole backline. The senior class that graduated before last season, all three of those guys started for our defense all for years. … There were a lot of learning curves.”

In addition to losing much from its defense, Galion was also without one of its better players, Steven Glew, who missed most of the season with an injury.

While the roster turnover led to a lot of inexperience for Galion last season, Palmer hopes last year’s struggles will begin to pay off this season with a good amount of experience returning. Among the top returners is senior and three-year contributor Brant Walker, who plays in the midfield and at forward, and was a second-team All-MOAC selection last season.

Junior midfielder Braylen Beachy, junior goalkeeper Evan Murphy, junior defender Brayden Drake, senior midfielder and three-year contributor Jacob Thomas, and junior Zach Early also return to form a solid nucleus for what Palmer hopes is a better season.

“I think it’s going to be a lot better than last year,” he said.

Palmer said freshman Will Rinehart, who played for Palmer in the youth club, could contribute immediately. Brennan Walker, a sophomore, is new to soccer, but Palmer called him “super athletic” and said he’s catching on quickly.

“Compared to last year, we’re a lot more athletic, and the guys practice with a lot of intensity and focus, which I would say we didn’t always have last year because there was a lot more learning,” Palmer said.

Without having to spend time and energy teaching his players how to play the game, Palmer believes he can throw much more at his team to make them a more dynamic group.

“We can pick up some more complex concepts and try new things and build on our strengths of what they did catch on to last year,” he said. “And then the new guys coming in are picking things up really quickly.”

Palmer said the goal this season is to compete in every game, noting there were some contests last year that were rather lopsided. By bringing intensity to each game, he believes the Tigers will be able to accomplish that goal.

“I’m really looking forward to the season,” he said. “I’m super pumped about it. Each practice, we’re getting better and better, so I’m looking forward to it starting and seeing where we go.”

Palmer added, “They are no-questions-asked. They absorb what I’m giving them and they are just buying in. So it’s just about being willing to learn and buying in and doing it with everything they have.”