Foxborough, MA – A brace from Chris Wondolowski helped the 1 at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.
The two-goal performance brings Wondolowski into a tie with Dwayne De Rosario and Thierry Henry for the Major League Soccer scoring lead with 14 goals on the year.
After Wondolowski produced an early goal, Benny Feilhaber thought he had claimed a point for New England with his equalizer in the second half. But Wondolowski struck again, nodding home a goal eight minutes from time to snap San Jose's four-match winless streak.
San Jose got off to a dream start when Wondolowski opened the scoring in the 8th minute. A long ball from goalkeeper David Bingham sailed up the pitch, finding Wondolowski in New England's penalty area. San Jose's leading scorer brought the ball down with a deft touch before slotting a shot past Bobby Shuttleworth.
The lead was canceled out by Feilhaber in the 55th minute following a scramble in the box. The 'Quakes failed to clear a set piece, as Milton Caraglio headed a shot off the crossbar before Feilhaber stuffed the rebound into the net with an acrobatic side-volley.
But Wondolowski earned a dramatic win for San Jose with a goal in the 82nd minute. Running on the right side of the box at full speed, Sam Cronin provided a brilliant chip to the back post where Wondolowski converted a header from close range to give the 'Quakes all three points.
The result sees both teams, who are out of playoff contention, retain their same positions in the standings. New England stays bottom of the Eastern Conference with 27 points, while San Jose improves to 35 points on the year, enough for eighth place in the West.
Both teams return to action on Oct. 15 as the Revolution (5-15-12) host the Columbus Crew, while the Earthquakes (7-11-14) travel to CenturyLink Field to face Seattle Sounders FC.
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