SAN JOSE — The San Jose Earthquakes erased a second-half deficit for the third straight match while earning a 1-1 draw with league-leading Nashville SC on Saturday night, clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2023.

Preston Judd scored his 16th goal of the season midway through the second half to help San Jose extend its unbeaten streak to a season-high nine league games and trigger a locker room celebration at PayPal Park.

“Over the past few games, we’ve had a good feeling that we were going to make the playoffs, so I think our focus has shifted toward securing home-field advantage in the first round,” said Judd, who scored his 16th goal of the season, joining Chris Wondolowski and Jeremy Ebobisse as the only players in club history to score 16 goals in a season.

“We saw what he was capable of last year when he played behind (Josef) Martínez and Chicho (Arango),” Quakes coach Bruce Arena said of Judd, a 27-year-old Las Vegas native. “Even with limited minutes, he did well and scored seven goals, so we knew he had the ability. Obviously, we didn’t anticipate him performing to this degree.”

The Quakes (13-8-9) sit in fourth place in the Western Conference with four matches remaining, and earned a postseason bid after  both San Diego FC and the Portland Timbers also played to draws on Saturday.

Former Golden Boot Award winner Hany Mukhtar scored unassisted in the 34th minute for Nashville. Though Quakes goalkeeper Angus Gunn saved Mukhtar’s initial shot, the rebound rolled right back to Mukhtar who hammered it for the near post by Gunn a 1-0 lead that Nashville took into halftime.

Six of Mukhtar’s 16 goals have now come in the last five matches.

After intermission, the Earthquakes equalized it from a free kick in minute 70. Eduard Löwen sent a deep curling ball from the right channel into the box and a streaking Judd willed a kneeling header past goalkeeper Brian Schwake for the 1-1 score. Löwen earned his second assist in nine matches after tallying three in 13 appearances with St. Louis City before joining San Jose.

In the 91st minute, the visitors had a golden opportunity to pull ahead but Gunn denied Elias Saad’s effort that was redirected on goal for his third save, which preserved the point.

“I’m really proud of the way the guys responded,” said Arena. “It was a hard-fought game against arguably the best team in the league right now, so to come away with a point and qualify for the playoffs, which was one of our objectives at the start of the year, is good.”

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 but instead had its four-match win streak snapped. Nashville had outscored its last four opponents 13-1.

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The Quakes play at FC Dallas on Saturday.