SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Jack Jasinski secured his first MLS goal, Preston Judd scored two goals in six minutes, and the San Jose Earthquakes used a big second half to beat Austin FC 5-1 on Wednesday night for their fifth victory in a row.
San Jose (8-1-0), which is off to its best start in club history, moved past idle Vancouver for sole possession of first place in the Western Conference. It’s the first time the Earthquakes have sat atop the standings since they won the Supporters Shield in 2012.
The Earthquakes trailed 1-0 at halftime.
Jasinski, who started for the first time in his career, tied it at 1-all in the 58th minute by heading home a corner kick from Niko Tsakiris.
Timo Werner scored on a penalty kick in the 78th for his first goal at PayPal Park to put San Jose ahead for good.
Judd redirected Paul Marie’s cross in the 83rd and the duo combined for the forward’s fifth goal of the season on a header in the 89th.
Of the 12 all-time league meetings between Austin and San Jose, 11 have featured multiple goals and eight have had four or more total goals.
Joseph Rosales opened the scoring nine minutes into the game for Austin (1-4-4) when he intercepted a bad pass to the middle of the field and powered it past goalkeeper Daniel.
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