Santa Clara, CA (Sports Network) - The San Jose Earthquakes recorded their first home win of the season as Kei Kamara and Ivan Guerrero scored second- half goals to help the home side hold off the Houston Dynamo, 2-1 at Buck Shaw Stadium on Thursday.

The win is extra sweet for the Earthquakes because it comes against a Houston franchise that was born in San Jose and left in 2005. The Dynamo went on to win back-to-back MLS Cup titles after leaving California, but the expansion club got the best of the two-time defending champs on this night.

Kamara opened the scoring in the 67th minute before Guerrero scored his first goal of the campaign with nine minutes to play.

Houston showed little life until the final nine minutes, when they put together a furious rally that nearly earned them a point. Brian Ching scored in the 88th minute, and then nearly leveled the match in stoppage for the Dynamo, who had a two-game win streak halted.

The first chance of the match fell to the home side in the 16th minute when Kamara dropped the ball off at the top of the box for Ramiro Corrales, and he drove a shot towards goal that took a deflection off Houston defender Eddie Robinson. The deflection made things difficult for Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad, but he got just enough of the ball to tip it past the right post.

A poor turnover in the back nearly cost Houston a goal nine minutes later when defender Bobby Boswell slipped while in possession of the ball, allowing San Jose's Ryan Johnson to steal it. Johnson carried the ball just inside the box and curled a shot for the upper left corner that forced a great save from Onstad, who tipped it over the net.

The 'Quakes continued to pressure and they were unlucky not to take the lead 13 minutes before the half. Johnson got down the left flank and floated a cross to the middle of the box for a wide open Kamara. He then sent a diving header towards the left post, and Guerrero got a touch on the ball but it came back off the woodwork.

A corner kick one minute later tested Onstad once again as Johnson caused more problems by getting on the other end of the cross at the back post and firing from a tight angle. Onstad got a hand to the ball, however, and knocked it over the net, but the hosts were clearly on top.

Houston produced its first good chance 10 minutes into the second half as Robinson headed a Brian Mullan corner kick just wide of the right post from eight yards, while Boswell nodded the ball over the top in the 65th minute from another Dynamo corner kick.

Just when the visitors began to get into the match, they found themselves down a goal as Ronnie O'Brien's deflected chip into the box was flicked into the path of Kamara by Ned Grabavoy. Kamara then took a touch, turned and fired a low shot past Onstad to put his team ahead.

Nine minutes from time the 'Quakes went up two goals as they benefited from some sloppy play by the Dynamo defense.

A miscommunication in the back allowed Guerrero to pick up a loose ball 35 yards from goal. He took on a defender before sliding a pass to Johnson inside the box on the right. Johnson fired a shot on goal from a bad angle, but Onstad could only parry it and Guerrero beat defender Richard Mulrooney to the loose ball and poked it home.

It looked like the 'Quakes were headed for a comfortable win, but a Brad Davis cross from the right was finished off at the near post by Ching, and his glancing header in stoppage time rolled just past the far post, allowing the hosts to escape with all three points.