Espinoza helps Earthquakes grab playoff berth in 1-1 draw with Austin
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Cristian Espinoza scored a first-half goal to help San Jose earn a 1-1 draw with Austin FC on Saturday night and that was enough to get the Earthquakes into the postseason after the Houston Dynamo defeated the Portland Timbers.
San Jose (10-10-14) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute when Espinoza took a pass from Jeremy Ebobisse and scored his 13th goal of the season. It was Espinoza’s 26th goal contribution this season, second most in Earthquakes history for a single season.
Owen Wolff used passes from Nick Lima and Sebastián Driussi in the 32nd minute to score his second goal of the campaign for Austin (10-15-9), knotting the score at halftime.
Brad Stuver saved seven shots for Austin. Daniel de Sousa Britto did not have a save for San Jose.
Austin has won just three of its last 22 matches on the road in all competitions (3-14-5). Austin was the only team without a clean sheet on the road this season.
The Earthquakes are 2-0-5 in seven all-time matchups with Austin, although the last four matches have ended in draws. San Jose finished 8-2-7 at home this season, tying the Earthquakes with Houston for the fewest home losses in the Western Conference.
___
