The San Jose Earthquakes defeated Chivas USA 3-0 Wednesday in front of 9,633 fans on fan appreciation night thanks to another Chris Wondolowski hat trick.
Wondo has recorded two hat tricks this season, the last time on Sept. 25 against Toronto FC. More importantly, he tied Los Angeles Galaxy forward Edson Buddle for the league lead with his 17th goal of the season, and continued to build on his MVP credentials.
It was a night for the record books at Buck Shaw Stadium as both Wondolowski and the team tied or broke four records.
WATCH: FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
PHOTO GALLERY: QUAKES VS. CHIVAS
PHOTO GALLERY: WONDO-FUL NIGHT
WATCH: WONDO'S HAT TRICK
READ: UNSELFISH WONDO DAZZLES TEAMMATES
Wondolowksi scored his club record-tying 15th goal of the season on a penalty he drew in the 55th minute when Michael Umana brought him down. The Danville native calmly put the penalty to Chivas USA goalkeeper Kevin Guppy’s right, matching recent Quakes Hall of Fame inductee Ronald Cerritos’ goal total from 1999.
Wondolowski broke that record just five minutes later, finishing underneath Guppy after a pass from Eduardo found him in space.
The hat-trick was complete when Brandon McDonald played a ball over the top to Ryan Johnson in the 72nd minute. Johnson then sent a ball to Wondolowski at the back post and he finished on the volley. That goal moved Wondolowski into a tie for sixth with Jeff Baicher on the all-time franchise scoring list with 20 goals for San Jose.
Wondolowski has scored San Jose’s last nine goals, tying him for the all-time Major League Soccer lead with Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz scored nine straight for the Galaxy from 2002-2003. He also tied Ruiz for the all-time lead for game-winning goals in a season with nine.
The Quakes also notched a franchise-record 13th shutout on the season, breaking the mark previously held by the 2005 Quakes team.
San Jose rounds out its regular season with a trip to take on the Kansas City Wizards this Saturday, Oct. 23 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 5:30 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet Plus and 1220 KDOW.
Tickets are on sale for the Quakes home playoff game on Saturday, Oct. 30. The time and opponent for that match will be determined by results this weekend. Fans can purchase tickets online or by calling 800-225-2277. For groups of 10 or more, tickets can be purchased through the Earthquakes Front Office by calling 408-556-7700.
San Jose Earthquakes (13-9-7) vs. Chivas USA (8-17-4)
October 20, 2010 – Buck Shaw Stadium
Attendance: 9,633
Scoring Summary: SJ – Chris Wondolowski (penalty) 55; SJ – Chris Wondolowski (Eduardo) 59; SJ – Chris Wondolowski (Ryan Johnson, Brandon McDonald) 72.
Misconduct Summary: SJ – Bobby Burling (caution) 28; CHV – Michael Umana (caution) 29.
San Jose Earthquakes – Jon Busch, Steven Beitashour, Brandon McDonald, Bobby Burling, Ramiro Corrales, Arturo Alvarez, Brad Ring, Scott Sealy (Geovanni 83), Ryan Johnson (Justin Morrow 77), Eduardo, Cornell Glen (Chris Wondolowski 40).
Statistics: Shots: 19; Shots on Goal: 9; Saves: 3; Fouls: 11; Offsides: 3; Corners: 1.
Chivas USA – Kevin Guppy, Mariano Trujillo, Yamith Cuesta (Jonathan Bornstein 62), Michael Umana (Sal Zizzo 66), Ante Jazic, Michael Lahoud, Paulo Nagamura, Marcelo Saragosa (Jesus Padilla 46), Jorge Flores, Justin Braun, Rodolfo Espinoza.
Statistics: Shots: 10; Shots on Goal: 3; Saves: 6; Fouls: 11; Offsides: 3; Corners: 4.
QUOTES
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH FRANK YALLOP
On the result:
“I spoke to the guys before the game and said, let’s go attack, let’s go have fun with this game. We train so well, I watch them at training, and they are fantastic, and sometimes we come out and don’t play. I wanted them to go enjoy it tonight, and they did. Team played great, this was an excellent performance, back four were fantastic and Jon Busch was excellent.”
On Chris Wondolowski’s performance:
“I’m very happy for him. Terrific performance. He could have gotten another one as well. I hope he gets the scoring title, I really do. For a humble person like he is and such a team guy, it will be deserved if he gets it. Hopefully he can get it in the (Kansas City) game.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES FORWARD CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI
On the team performance tonight:
“Tonight was huge, Chivas (USA) are a good team. It feels great to win the last home game for these fans, who were fantastic again tonight. Now it’s time to focus on Kansas City and get ready for what lies ahead in the playoffs. In Kansas City, the important thing is getting the full three points. It means a lot to us to perform well and accumulate as many points as we can, heading into the playoffs on a good run of play.”
On breaking the franchise record:
“It means a lot, there have been so many good strikers at this club, it is a great accomplishment and a great honor. It would mean a lot (to win the Golden Boot), there are so many good goal scorers league-wide, and to be up there in the conversation is unbelievable.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES GOALKEEPER JON BUSCH
On the win:
“Our motivation is we are preparing for the playoffs. Saturday, we didn’t play our best soccer, maybe it was a little hangover from clinching a playoff spot, but tonight we played very well. We had the right mentality tonight. We needed to focus on how we were playing, and not who we were playing. We look to do the same thing in Kansas City on Saturday.”
On the franchise-record 13th shutout:
“First and foremost, this is a team award, and a lot of credit is due to our goalkeeping coach, Jason Batty. This isn’t an individual record, it’s a team record, and that’s what I’m most proud of. You look at what we have gone through with injuries, suspensions, and guys have filled in and just done a fantastic job. Each day, we strive to get a shutout, and this is just credit to everyone in front of me.”
