As the start of the 2019-20 season approached, the Ransom Everglades boys’ varsity soccer team anticipated one of the most special seasons the program has ever seen. After losing 10 seniors from the previous year, a young group of players prepared to step up to fill the missing roles, excited to begin their journey as members of the soccer program. However, just as the first few practices were getting underway, horrible news struck the RE community. Antonio Tsialas ’19, a freshman at Cornell University, had tragically passed away. Antonio had been a member of RE’s soccer program for all four years of high school, contributing to the program’s only state championship during his freshman year. Captaining the soccer team his senior year, Tsialas left a truly remarkable legacy, embodying all the values that the Ransom Everglades community aspires to see in its students. His humility, work ethic, dedication, passion for the game and drive for success were unmatched by anyone. Similarly, his love for his companions defined him as a caring, compassionate, mature young man. Knowing that the RE community had lost an incredibly special human being, the soccer program was determined to ensure his legacy lived on. That effort started in practice; the team wore black jerseys with Antonio’s number and name to serve as a daily reminder of the season’s motivation. The first game against Palmer Trinity just so happened to be a few hours after Antonio’s funeral. It cannot be denied that it was incredibly difficult to step on the field. However, RE’s players pushed through their emotions, and did what Antonio would have wanted the players to do, and that was to play their hearts out. RE pulled through with a 1-0 win, and from then on the season delivered many outstanding achievements. The drive to play every game for Antonio pushed the team to new heights, and surely would have made Antonio proud. Head Coach Dave Villano ’79 led starters Jasper Broad ’22, Nicolas Stone ’21, Logan Courey ’20, Nicholas Sosa ’23, Rylan Sadler ’22, Gabriel Pulido ’21, David Pulido ’22, Juan Rivera ’22, Joseph Gross ’20, William White ’21 and me on a sensational 6-0-0 undefeated run, battling through tough opponents such as rival Gulliver, which RE defeated in an exciting 1-0 game, and defending state champion Lake Highland Prep, which we defeated by a 2-1 score. RE finished the season with a 19-5-1 record, earning our first trips to the district championship and regional playoffs since Antonio’s freshman year. RE then lost two heartbreaking playoff games – a 1-0 defeat to La Salle in the district final and a 2-0 loss in the regional quarterfinal. Although it felt like the season was cut short, it was undoubtedly an unforgettable one, marked by the team’s beautiful effort in keeping Antonio’s memory alive.