- San Jose Earthquakes win first-place showdown over Real Salt LakeSan Jose Mercury News - 18 hours agoChris Wondolowski scores winner in 84th minute in 2-1 victory.
This time, the San Jose Earthquakes’ typical late-game heroics were only half the story.
With goals in the 75th and 84th minutes from Alan Gordon and Chris Wondolowski, respectively, the Quakes’ 2-1 road victory against Real Salt Lake on Saturday could be filed as just another entry in San Jose’s ever-growing dossier of fairy-tale endings.
In so many of those earlier matches, however, the Quakes’ standard operating procedure was to chase a game from behind. Facing an angry RSL side that had blown a two-goal lead Wednesday in an eventual 3-2 loss to LA, San Jose’s defense was finally an equal contributor as the Quakes came into Rio Tinto Stadium and wrested away ownership of the Supporters’ Shield lead.
Full Match Highlights
Even though Javier Morales’ world-class strike off a free kick in the 79th minute prevented San Jose (10-3-3) from posting their first shutout in almost three months, the Quakes’ back line took a starring role in keeping things sealed up, allowing Wondo & Co. to work their offensive alchemy.
Justin Morrow, on the dead run, contorted himself to divert Fabian Espindola’s 23rd-minute shot with a goalmouth header. Victor Bernardez’s sliding deflection in the 31st kept Alvaro Saborio from getting a free look from 12 yards out.
Most of all, there was Jason Hernandez, who delivered three goal-saving plays in the second half to highlight one of his best performances in 111 appearances for the Quakes
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