The San José Earthquakes maintained their season dominance with a 5-1 win against Austin FC on Wednesday at PayPal Park.
The Quakes approached the early-season match with a strong 7-1-0 start.
Despite the goal differential, Austin FC struck first in the ninth minute.
The opening goal came from Austin FC left midfielder Joseph Rosales, who scored from the center of the box following a giveaway from the Quakes.
Austin FC retained possession throughout much of the first half, while the Quakes fought to prevent further damage.
The Quakes ended the first half with several strong chances, recording 13 shot attempts to Austin FC’s four. They also earned six corner kicks.
Coming out of halftime, the Quakes shifted the energy.
Defender Jack Jasinski tied the match in the 58th minute with a header off a corner kick.
Jasinski made his first start for the team in the match, which proved successful.
Earthquakes head coach Bruce Arena said starting him was part of the team’s strategy.
“We wanted to rest Benji (Kikanovic). He got a little banged up. Jack’s been our backup. That’s one of the strengths of our team, when anyone goes down, the next guy is ready to play,” Arena said.
The goal shifted the momentum in favor of the Quakes.
Jasinski said he noticed how the first goal increased the team’s confidence and control of the match.
“After the first goal, the second one is always easier. In the last 14 minutes of added time, I was on the bench watching, and it seemed everything was going our way,” Jasinski said.
Following the equalizer, midfielder Beau Leroux had a chance that struck the right post.
The Quakes then scored back-to-back goals.
Left midfielder Timo Werner gave the Quakes the lead with a penalty kick in the 77th minute, sending the ball into the left corner and energizing the crowd.
Forward Preston Judd added the third goal in the 83rd minute, capped by an assist from defender Paul Marie.
Two minutes later, right attacking midfielder Ousseni Bouda secured the fourth goal.
By that point, the Quakes’ dominance was clear.
Judd scored again three minutes before the end of regulation to make it 5-1.
The match didn’t end there, as referees added 14 minutes of stoppage time.
Despite the win, possession was dominated by Austin FC, which held 64.6% compared with the Quakes’ 35.4%. However, the Quakes controlled the shot battle, recording 16 shots on goal to Austin FC’s two.
The last time the Quakes scored five goals in a half was Aug. 11, 1996.
The Quakes will look to continue their run when they face St. Louis City SC on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Energizer Park.
