The San Jose Earthquakes have stretched their winless run to seven matches with a 2-0 defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place.

Vancouver started the match strongly, and were close to breaking the deadlock early on when Kendall Watson headed just over from a Mauro Rosales cross.

The hosts dominated possession throughout the first half, but were forced to wait until the 39th minute for the clearest opportunity to open the scoring as Victor Bernardez brought down Watson inside the box.

Pedro Morales stepped up from 12 yards, and the Chilean left Jon Busch with no chance as he drilled his penalty home.

The one-sided nature of the contest continued into the second half, with Sebastian Fernandez firing just wide of the target from a tight angle.

It came as little surprise to see Vancouver extend their lead when Morales turned provider by delivering a corner onto the head of Watson, who powered the ball home from close range.

Busch was forced to make a number of saves to ensure San Jose were not embarrassed by a heavier defeat, with both Morales and Fernandez being denied by the veteran shot-stopper.

There would be no late response from the Earthquakes, who remain second from bottom in the Western Conference.