By Pearl Allison Lo

The San Jose Earthquakes’ inability to score in the second half again cost them as they fell to the Houston Dynamo 3-2 at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday.

The Quakes were up 2-0 after the first half,  but the Dynamo came back to earn the win in the 87th minute.

San Jose is now winless in their last five. Three of the results have been a one goal differential.

The Quakes opponent again put up a lot of shots against their net, as they were outshot 19-8.

Houston had just won their first ever US Open Cup on Wednesday.

San Jose started their scoring when they ended a scoreless streak that started after the 61st minute in their September 19th game.

Chris Wondolowski was the last member of the team to score and he did it again in the 37th minute. Tommy Thompson drew a penalty and Wondolowski converted to make him just two shy of the MLS all-time record with his 143rd goal.

The Earthquakes got help from the Dynamo eight minutes later when Alejandro Fuenmayor scored on his own net.

Wondolowski commented,”It was a great ball in by Jackson [Yueill], squared it across. I was there. Thought I would get a touch, but the defender came sliding in and got a touch as well.”

Two substitutions by either team filled in the gaps between each of Houston’s three goals in the second half.

Mauro Manotas scored in the 56th minute.

Quakes interim head coach Steve Ralston said, “Frustration is a good word…to find ourselves up 2-0 was nice. I told the guys, ‘Listen, this has happened too much this season. We need to finish this game out…we have to raise our level of play.’ And we didn’t. Once they scored the first goal, we were mentally weak and we felt like this happened oh-so-many times to us and I don’t think we have the courage to get out of it right now.”

Tomás Martínez evened the score in the 68th minute.

Ralston put in Florian Jungwirth in the 76th minute and Danny Hoesen in the 82nd minute, but it was to of no avail.

Second-half substitute Romell Quioto gave the Quakes more heartbreak when he scored.

Ralston’s message after the horn blew, “I sat with them and told them, ‘It’s not good enough. We know that. We have to be brave and we have to pick each other up and we have to do the little things better.’ We’ll see. We have three games. What do they want to make of it?”

Up Next: The Quakes begins their last homestand of the season when they host the New York Red Bulls Saturday at 7:30 pm PT.