Santa Clara, CA – Corey Hertzog's second-half tally salvaged a point for the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday in a gritty 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes at Buck Shaw Stadium.
San Jose was on the front foot early on and had a great chance just five minutes into the match when Chris Wondolowski got free in the Vancouver box and ripped a shot on net, but it was straight at Vancouver goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
The hosts would strike first, however, in the 18th minute as Wondolowski collected a loose ball on the right side of the Whitecaps penalty area and powered a rising shot over Cannon and into the top right corner for the 1-0 lead.
Both teams had several chances to find the back of the net, but San Jose held its lead and went into the intermission on top.
After the break, Vancouver found its equalizer in the 62nd minute when Hertzog jumped on a rebound from a blocked shot in the San Jose penalty area and slid it past 'Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch to put the sides back on level terms.
Both clubs pushed numbers forward in search of a winner and San Jose had a great chance to find another goal with 20 minutes to play as Steven Lenhart got his head to a cross from Sam Cronin, but directed it just wide of Cannon's left post.
The result sees Vancouver stay in fifth place in the Western Conference on six points from four matches, while the Earthquakes sit in fourth place with seven points from five games.
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