SAN LUIS OBISPO, California - The Columbus Crew fell to the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 in a preseason exhibition Friday night at Alex G. Spanos Stadium on the campus of California Polytechnic State University.
Playing through a steady drizzle for most of the game, the Earthquakes notched the first tally of the contest when Gavin Glinton's pass slid through to Kei Kamara who struck a low line-drive shot into the back of the net to give San Jose the early lead.
The Crew would respond in the 34th minute as San Jose's Ryan Cochrane had trouble clearing the ball from the San Jose backline. The Crew seized possession at the top of the box, swung the ball to the right and Alejandro Moreno directed a pass to Eddie Gaven, whose low shot was slotted past the San Jose goalkeeper to equalize for the Black & Gold.
The opening minutes of the second half produced little action, until Kamara again struck for the Earhquakes. Kamara found himself in space on the left side of the Crew penalty box and slipped a shot into the lower right corner of the goal to give San Jose the 2-1 edge.
The Crew had an opportunity to equalize in the 62nd minute as Guilherme So fired a shot from 10-yards out, but Dan Benton came off his line to parry the shot away. So tracked down the loose ball and bent a pass across the box, which a San Jose defender headed away. Frankie Hedjuk corralled the cleared ball and struck a solid shot on goal, but Benton was well positioned to handle challenge.
The Crew returns to action tonight as it takes on Chivas USA at 8 p.m. (ET) in an exhibition match to benefit the Michael Hoefflin Foundation at Cougar Stadium on the campus of the College of the Canyons. Columbus plays its third and final preseason match of its California trip on Monday, as it takes on the Ventura County Fusion of the Premier Development League at 10:30 p.m. (ET) at Bunea High School.
Columbus Crew vs. San Jose Earthquakes (Exhibition)
February 22, 2008 - Alex G. Spanos Stadium (San Luis Obispo, California)
Scoring Summary:
SJ - Kei Kamara (Gavin Glinton) 17
CLB - Eddie Gaven (Alejandro Moreno) 34
SJ - Kei Kamara 54
Team Lineups:
Columbus Crew: Will Hesmer, Frankie Hedjuk (Ryan Miller 65), Chad Marshall (Ryan Junge 67), Andy Iro (Leonard Griffin 67), Sandro da Silva (Andrew Peterson 65), Eddie Gaven (Ricardo Virtuoso 65), Duncan Oughton (Brian Carroll 62), Stefani Miglioranzi (Kevin Burns 62), Robbie Rogers (Emmanuel Ekpo 65), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Guilherme So 62), Alejandro Moreno (Zola Short 62)
San Jose Earthquakes: Preston Burpo (Dan Benton 22), Jason Hernandez, Nick Garcia, Ryan Cochrane (Jay Ayres 70), James Riley, Shea Salinas (Matt Taylor 67), Ramiro Corrales (J.P. Rodrigues 82), Ned Grabavoy, Joe Vide (Ivan Guerrero 46), Gavin Glinton (Frederico Arias 62), Kei Kamara (Yuri Morales 82)
Misconduct Summary:
CLB - Stefani Miglioranzi caution (reckless foul) 11 SJ - Ryan Cochrane caution (reckless foul) 36 SJ - Nick Garcia caution (reckless foul) 62
