MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes Defeat Wizards 3-0

Published on June 8, 2002 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


San Jose, Calif. (June 8, 2002) - The defending Major League Soccer Champion San Jose Earthquakes (7-3-2) increased their lead in the Western Conference with a 3-0 shutout of the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday night at Spartan Stadium. Ariel Graziani scored two goals in a game for the third time in the past five matches, and Richard Mulrooney rounded out the scoring with his first strike of the season. Goalkeeper Joe Cannon recorded his fourth shutout of the year to move into a tie for the league-lead in that category.

The Quakes now lead the Western Conference by four points over the Colorado Rapids. With the home win, San Jose has now won ten straight games at Spartan Stadium, outscoring opponents by a 28-6 margin during that stretch. Defender Troy Dayak made an important defensive play in the 24 minute after a Wizards' build-up in the offensive end. Chris Brown received the ball on the left edge of the box and fired a low shot on goal, but Dayak stepped in to block the shot and clear the ball away.

In the 33rd minute, Graziani created an opportunity for Dwayne De Rosario with a through pass. Just as De Rosario got to the ball, Wizards goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi slid in to knock the ball away. The ball rolled towards the Wizards goal, but the Wizards defense was able to clear the ball away.

Seven minutes later Graziani gave the Earthquakes the lead with a breakaway goal after a pass from Wade Barrett. Barrett dispossessed Wizards midfielder Preki in the Wizards half, and quickly chipped a ball over the top of the defense to Graziani. Graziani moved in on Oshoniyi and then fired a left-footed shot into the far post for a 1-0 lead.

Early in the second half, Graziani scored his second goal of the night and eighth of the season, putting away the rebound of a De Rosario shot. Graziani started the play by stealing the ball and streaking down the left wing before crossing the ball to De Rosario on the right wing. De Rosario blasted a right-footed shot that Oshoniyi parried but the rebound fell to Graziani at the six-yard box. Graziani tapped the ball in to move the Quakes out to a 2-0 advantage.

Mulrooney gave the Quakes a three-goal cushion with a 28-yard shot that sailed over Oshoniyi's head and into the upper left corner of the net. Manny Lagos started the play with a short pass to Ramiro Corrales. Corrales faked a shot and then cut the ball back to Mulrooney behind him. Mulrooney took a touch and ripped his shot off the crossbar and into the net for his first goal of the season.

In the 81st minute, Cannon made two saves 30 seconds apart to preserve his shutout. On the first one, Preki controlled the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and curled a left-footed shot towards the far post that Cannon leaped and tipped over the bar. On the ensuing corner, Preki received the ball in the same spot and took another shot, but this time the ball was tipped in front and Cannon pulled in the shot moving to his right. De Rosario had a bid for the Quakes fourth goal of the night in the 84th minute. At the edge of the penalty box, the Canadian international spun between two defenders and fired a low shot, but the shot was deflected wide of the far post.

The Earthquakes take to the road next weekend as they return to Columbus, OH to take on the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium on Saturday, June 15 at 4:30 p.m. PT. The match will be televised live on Fox Sports Net.

Notes:

-The Quakes scored their 300th goal in club history on Saturday night against the Wizards. Ariel Graziani's second goal of the game was the 300th.

-The Earthquakes have not conceded a goal to the Wizards at Spartan Stadium for 280 consecutive minutes dating back to August 16, 2000.

Quotes:

Frank Yallop, on game: "It was a great win for us. We started out a little flat in the first half, but we played much better after halftime. We had a lot more fight in us in the second half. I knew we wouldn't play badly for 90 minutes."

Yallop, on playing at Spartan Stadium: "It is a hard place to come and play, and we play very well here. I remember coming here as a player and it was always difficult. Our team creates a lot of chances here, and we put a lot of pressure on the other team."

Ariel Graziani, on scoring two goals: "I was able to finish the opportunities that I was given tonight. The luck was with me. The most important thing for a forward is to be in the right place to score the goals, and I was in those spots tonight."

Richard Mulrooney, on his goal: "I am never going to turn down a shot. I actually thought for a second that I might send it out wide, but then I decided to hit it and it found the right spot."

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