Quakes battle to draw with L.A.

STATS: Galaxy 2, Quakes 2

A spirited match between the San Jose Earthquakes and theLos Angeles Galaxy ended in a 2-2 draw as twice the home side came from a goaldown. The draw preserved the Earthquakes' season-long unbeaten streak at BuckShaw Stadium.The 2012 Supporters Shield winners, playing a game that hadno consequence on their final regular-season record, countered Galaxy goals byRobbie Keane and Edson Buddle through a Marvin Chavez free kick and a Chris Wondolowskiheader. For Wondolowski, the goal was his 26th of the season,leaving him 1 goal behind the single season record set by Roy Lassiter in theinaugural 1996 MLS season.The sold out Buck Shaw Stadium crowd, many who participatedin the teams new stadium Guinness World Record setting groundbreaking ceremonyearly in the day, were treated to another in a long list of intense andexciting California Classics between the two heated rivals.The first half saw both teams looking for weaknesses intheir opponents, but neither side could find the back of the net. The Galaxyhad the best chances in the opening stanza, as Buddle and Keane had one-on-oneopportunities against Jon Busch, but the SanJose goalkeeper made important saves to keep the matchscoreless.The Earthquakes had a flurry of chance to break through atthe start of the second half. First on a through ball that had him in on goaland second on a corner kick, Wondolowski sent shots off the woodwork twice inthe span of a minute. On a subsequent corner kick, a scrum in front of goalseemed destined to send the ball into the goal, but the Galaxy defense survivedthe onslaught and scrambled the ball to safety.The Galaxy delivered the first goal of the match in the 59thminute through Keane. The Irelandinternational pounced on a loose ball in front of goal that had originally beendelivered by Buddle, and fired it past goalkeeper Busch.The Earthquakes equalized two minutes later when Chavezcurled a free kick from 30 yards out that squeaked just inside the near post.For Chavez, it was his third goal of the season.As the game opened up, both sides began to find moreopportunities on goal. In the 69th minute, with defender SeanFranklin making an overlapping run down the right wing, the Galaxy retook thelead when Buddle climbed over Victor Bernardez to head home a cross from Franklin.In the 74th minute, Wondolowski finally found theback of the net, as he sent a diving header past Los Angeles goalkeeper Josh Saunders off acorner kick from Chavez.The match ended with both sides searching for a winninggoal, but both teams eventually had to settle for a share of the spoils.

With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!

Subscribe  SIGN UP HERE
Contact Us