Palm Harbor Goalkeeper Opts For Princeton

Good news and Palm Harbor University just seem to go hand in hand these days.

Only one week removed from the boys soccer team wrapping up its third state title - and two weeks from the girls winning a fourth - goalkeeper Max Gallin has announced his intentions to play college ball at Princeton University.

"I was definitely excited when I first found out on the phone," he said, listing the Ivy League school along with Emory University as his top options. "Everybody's been great. When I broke the news to my dad he was absolutely ecstatic."

Given Princeton's venerable reputation in the realm of higher education, academics played the largest role in Gallin's decision. He holds a 4.2 weighted GPA, has been enrolled in Palm Harbor's International Baccalaureate program, is a National Honors Society member and is the school's vice president.

"He's a great kid," said Palm Harbor soccer coach Alex Delgado. "And not only is he a great soccer player, he's a great student."

Delgado cites Gallin as one of the main factors for the Hurricanes' title run. Throughout five playoff games, only one shot - during the state finals game against Freedom - crossed Gallin's goal line.

"He came up huge in that state finals game and made a couple big saves at the end," Delgado said. "He was just unbelievable. He became the goalie I knew he could be."

Gallin said he has changed his mind "about 100 times since the summer" in regards to his future major while attending Princeton. Psychology, business, political science and international affairs are some current frontrunners, he said.

With the Hurricanes this season, Gallin, who also punted for the football team, recorded 14 shutouts in 26 games and owned a goals-against average of 0.846. He also plays club soccer for the prestigious Clearwater Soccer Club with the U-18 United States Soccer Federation Academy Team.