Preston Judd’s second-half goal earns Earthquakes 1-1 draw with Nashville and a playoff berth

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Preston Judd scored midway through the second half to help the San Jose Earthquakes earn a 1-1 draw with Nashville SC on Saturday night, extending their unbeaten streak to nine while earning them a spot in the postseason.

Hany Mukhtar scored unassisted in the 34th minute and Nashville took the 1-0 lead into halftime.

Six of Mukhtar’s 16 goals have come in the last five matches. Angus Gunn had a save on Mukhtar’s first attempt, but he couldn’t corral it. It deflected right back to the former Golden Boot Award winner, who took advantage of a second opportunity.

That’s where it stood until Judd found the net on a header in the 70th minute to knot the score. It was the 16th goal this season for the forward, who began the year with 11 goals in his first 72 appearances. Eduard Löwen snagged his second assist in nine matches after tallying three in 13 appearances with St. Louis City before joining the Earthquakes.

Gunn stopped three shots for the Earthquakes (13-8-9), who sit in fourth place in the Western Conference with four matches remaining.

Rookie Brian Schwake finished with two saves for Eastern Conference-leading Nashville (20-3-7), which would have clinched the Supporters’ Shield with a victory.

Nashville entered on a four-match win streak that saw it outscore its opponents 13-1. The club is 6-3-6 on the road.

San Jose is 6-5-4 at home and has gone 3-0-6 during its unbeaten run.

Up next

Nashville: At CF Montreal on Saturday.

San Jose: At FC Dallas on Saturday.

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