“Look at Chinmay go!” senior, game commentator, Andrew Vargha exclaimed over the loud speaker as senior team member Chinmay Tyagi dribbled across the field. “It makes you wonder how he didn’t make the Varsity [soccer] team.” The student spectators erupted in laughter as the senior class soccer team won the Winter Rally staff vs students competition at brunch today on the Palo Alto High School football field with a score of 4-1.

The rally consisted of the student vs teacher soccer game, performances by the cheer and dance teams and the reveal of the Prom 2017 location.

According to senior team coach Thomas Crouch, the student team’s hard work helped them find success.

“We played really well as a team,” Crouch said. “We had a lot of great passing and our defense was on point. At the end of the day, we were able to put the ball in the back of the net.”

The student team struggled with passing during the first half, but managed to maintain their lead in the game, according to Crouch. Senior Chinmay Tyagi says the senior team’s play was very strong.

“It was a team effort and we played really well,” Tyagi said. “It would have been nice to not concede that goal, but it was pretty great overall.”

The game began with a goal from math teacher John Rowe, which was immediately followed by a retaliation goal by senior Naveen Pai for the student team. Before the end of the first half, senior Sam Lee scored another goal for the students, ending the first half with a score of 2-1.

In the second half, the students dominated with strong defensive play and maintained control of the ball, which they needed to keep their lead. Tyagi and senior Dylan Williams worked together on offense, and both scored goals for the students.

Click through this slideshow to see more of what happened at the Winter Rally today.