STANFORD — Beau Leroux didn’t wait long to add his name to the list of legendary California Clasico moments.

The Santa Teresa High alum and former San Jose State player found the ball at his feet just outside the 18-yard box and took a page out of former LA Galaxy player David Beckham’s book. Leroux bent a perfect curling strike around Galaxy goalie Novak Micovic, putting the Earthquakes up by a goal at Stanford Stadium.

But San Jose couldn’t quite finish the job. Quakes keeper Daniel dove to make key saves in the 60th and 68th minutes but couldn’t finish a similar play in the 70th, as Marco Reus buried a rebound to bring the Galaxy level at 1-1, which is how the game ended.

The Earthquakes couldn’t add another goal, and Los Angeles (1-13-6) salvaged the tie. San Jose (7-7-6), which entered Saturday in fifth in the Western Conference, thus left two points on the table in front of 42,881 fans.

L.A.’s late goal took the shine off Leroux’s special strike, which came at the same stadium where he had grown up watching the Quakes play in Clasicos gone by. But the stunner was still one San Jose’s rookie midfielder cherished in the immediate aftermath.

“It’s an unreal and surreal moment for me playing in these games,” Leroux said. “Before the game, I was actually looking at the spot where I would usually sit in the past. Just at the halfway line on the very top, like in the nosebleeds, kind of. But it’s awesome to be on the field.”

Leroux noted that he likes to hit shots from the top of the box, calling them his “strong suit,” and his curler found the back of the net in vintage Beckham fashion. Much as Beckham did on a free kick against the Earthquakes in 2012, Leroux found himself with a bit of space and curved the ball up and around Micovic on the right side of the goal, giving San Jose a jolt.

San Jose dominated much of the early run of play, but a few solid chances went just awry. A wide left-side strike from winger Chicho Arango hit the side of the net, and multiple long shots went high.

They would have cleared the football goalposts at Stanford Stadium. But that wasn’t the sport being played on the farm Saturday night.

“I give the Galaxy a lot of credit,” Quakes coach Bruce Arena said. “They played very well in the second half. We didn’t play well. And I guess you can attribute a lot to the Galaxy. They did a great job. I think Daniel made some really big saves, as did their keeper at the end of the game.”

The main talking point after the game remained Leroux’s goal, though, which highlighted a stellar early start to the season for the 21-year-old. Leroux has scored four goals and added four assists in 20 games, and his play is standing out on a team that features some very accomplished veterans.

“That’s a pretty good goal total for a guy playing in his position,” Arena said. “So he’s done very well. It’s great to see. He continues to improve. He’s been a pleasant surprise.”

The Earthquakes nearly escaped with three points as Arango was once again a factor down the stretch. Receiving a cross from Leroux, Arango nearly finished a header in the box in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time, but it went wide left.

Late in the game, San Jose played like a team contesting its second match in four days. The Earthquakes had just earned an emotionally draining comeback win over Dallas on Wednesday, and that might have explained the second-half fade where they were much less threatening in the final third.

“This week has been very tough for the MLS teams,” Arena said. “The scheduling with this two-day layoff was crazy. On Wednesday, we played in difficult, difficult conditions, and they had to turn around and play Saturday. So that was very challenging. For us to get four points out of it is positive. We got through the week. We didn’t play our best tonight, but getting a point is going to be important.”

Leroux wasn’t making any excuses.

“Mentally, we just gotta be stronger to close out games and to secure three points,” he said. “We maybe lost focus for a little bit, but we were still fortunate to get a point.”

San Jose isn’t in a bad position in the MLS standings. The Earthquakes are still in a playoff spot, now sixth in the West.

The Quakes had mixed emotions after the draw. They could have done more.

But one thing’s for sure — San Jose has a native star on its hands in Leroux. The first-year player, who signed the day before the Earthquakes’ first game, is one of three Quakes to appear in every match and has started 17 of 20 league matches this season.

“I already had it in my mind I was going to touch it and hit it,” Leroux said of his goal. “When I hit it, I thought it was actually hitting the crossbar and going out or something like that, because that happens a lot for me. And then I saw it hit the back of the net, and it was a surreal moment.

“When they scored, obviously it kind of sucked out the energy from our team. I think towards the very end, we responded well, and we wanted to get that last goal. But we couldn’t.”