Brandon Oaks (SO/Salina, Kan.) is looking forward to Kansas Wesleyan's 2023 soccer season and with good reason.
The Coyotes could not overcome a slow start last fall and finished with two victories (2-14-1). Oaks, though, is eager to see how things unfold with a new head coach in Bruce Palmbaum, a multitude of newcomers and 13 other returners from last year's team.
"We had a really bad start and we wanted to start picking it up and it just wasn't coming," Oaks said. "After going through that I feel like we now know what we need to do, we know the work that it's going to take and we think we now have the guys to do it."
Oaks, a graduate of Salina South High School and midfielder for the Coyotes, will be a key figure after leading the team with 10 points – three goals and four assists – in 15 games that included 14 starts.
"The players that are returning are a lot more connected now," he said. "We know each other's strengths; each other's weaknesses and we know how to play with each other a lot better. I know that we can put those onto the new guys as well and we can keep that going."
Oaks is impressed with Palmbaum, who came to Salina after coaching women's soccer at Stephens College (Mo.) for two seasons under KWU Athletic Director Miguel Paredes.
"Bruce came in here with a lot of energy and he wanted to turn this program around as quick as possible," Oaks said. "Immediately he got us going. He wanted to get to know us and he started building more of a family right away instead of keeping us as individuals. I know he's just as excited as everybody else and he wants way more than anyone on this team."
Oaks has made a strong early impression on Palmbaum as well.
"Brandon is one of the most talented attacking players I've had the opportunity to coach," he said. "He is a creative attacker with a flair for being able to take on opponents one on one. If he remains confident and injury free, he can do great things his final two years at KWU."
Palmbaum and assistant coach Cameron Hunter, who worked with the KWU women's program last season, have been busy shoring up the roster. They have signed dozens of freshmen and transfers, several of them international players.
"I think it'll be exciting," Oaks said of playing with athletes from other countries. "It's always fun to get to know new people and it's a new experience for me. I haven't played with this many internationals before but I'm excited to meet them all and excited to see what they're all about."
Oaks was a four-year starter at South, playing multiple positions for coach Trey Crow. He chose to stay home and attend KWU after hearing about the program.
"I had a lot of coaches that I looked up to that went to the school and I was hearing nothing but good things about it," he said. "It was the culture that you get to know about while living in Salina."
Despite the setbacks Oaks says his time at Wesleyan has been profitable.
"I just wanted to learn from everybody because college was new to me," he said. "I wasn't going to just walk in here thinking that it knew everything. I think I've learned a lot from my past teammates."
The Coyotes open the 2023 season against Randall University (Okla.) on August 25.
"I think it is a fresh start," he said. "Obviously, our main goal is to win and we want to build (the program). We want everyone to have the mindset that no one's going to beat us. Despite what the record was last season this is a whole different team and we're going to prove everybody wrong. We're going to go out there and actually compete for a (Kansas) Conference title."
