For years, those words often followed the Boys Varsity Soccer program. This season, that narrative has changed.
Last year, the Raiders finished the regular season with just two wins. This fall, they earned nine regular-season victories, secured a spot in the District Playoffs, and received a first round bye to the semifinals, marking a clear turnaround for the program.
The 2024-25 season was a difficult one. The Raiders were outscored 65-12 and endured a nine-game losing streak. Offensive production was limited, with the team relying heavily on a single senior scorer. The Raiders lost badly in games against Somerset Academy, Immaculata-Lasalle, Mast Academy, and others. This was definitely a season to forget for RE.
The Raiders went into this season, however, with a new coach and further developed talent. Head Coach and Upper School Assistant Athletic Director Teo Delia was focused on bringing a new mentality and culture to the program. They began having nighttime training sessions and played together on an independent club team, allowing chemistry to develop well before the first whistle.
The approach seems to have paid off. Lucas Piedrahita and Jake Davies scored a combined 15 times, 3 more than the entire team last season. As a team, the Raiders have scored 22 goals through the regular season alone.
Standout sophomore Sebastian Daes ’28 pointed to the shift in mentality as the biggest difference. “[Coach Delia] installed a really good culture into the team, a culture of hard work and intensity. Last year we played with no intensity. It’s just all about how much effort we put into the games, how much we run. It’s all about effort, really,” he said.
Midway through the season, the Raiders were still searching for a defining win. That moment came on January 13, when RE defeated Miami Country Day School, ranked 30th in Florida and inside the top 150 nationally.
Besides Daes, who scored 2 goals, senior Ricky Cury ’26 scored a goal, and Piedrahita assisted in every single goal in the 3-1 victory. MCDS was averaging 4.5 goals per game heading into the matchup. Senior Goalkeeper Ryan Alessandro ’26 only gave up 1. The equivalent of this win in the world of college football is Clemson taking down Ohio State. A team who, just a few years ago, made it to the national championship but has since taken a substantial hit took down a contender in 2026.
For the first time since moving to class 2A District 15, the Raiders received a first round bye in the District Playoffs as part of the FHSAA State Championship Series. This was also the first time since the 2022-2023 season that the Raiders even advanced to the Semifinal game. This 2025-2026 presentation for RE may not end with a district, regional, or state championship, but it seems to be setting a new standard for future teams to get back to where the program used to be.
