Liga MX Femenil recap - Week 13

With the league heading into the international break, it’s becoming more evident each week which teams are serious contenders and which aren’t going to make the Liguilla. That said, the race for the final few playoff spots is intense and most likely won’t be settled until the final week.

Necaxa 0, Querétaro 1: Necaxa remains winless as Querétaro comes in and gets their first in in five tries. Necaxa actually had a couple of chances early on but Luz Ruiz was the hero of the match, intercepting a pass in the 40th minute, cutting left, cutting right, and then unleashing a shot back against the grain that went top shelf past goalkeeper Balbina Treviño. Gallos goalkeeper Ivette Alvarado earned her first shutout of her career in just her fifth start.

Juárez 1, Tigres UANL 2: Almost a shock result as Juárez lead for most of the game, but two goals late pushed Tigres over the hump and earned them all three points. Carmen González was played through on a brilliant ball that split the Tigres defense in the ninth minute. González stopped as the defense caught up to her, cut inside, and hit a laser that a diving Vania Villalobos couldn’t get to. Juárez would maintain the lead until the 73rd minute when Nancy Antonio unleashed a shot from distance. Defender Karen Loya got a foot on the ball in an attempt to clear it, but it merely deflected it up and over goalkeeper Silvia Machuca for the tying goal. In the 83rd minute, Katty Martínez was able to get to a shot that rebounded off of the post and knock it in for her tenth goal of the season and the game winner.

Atlas 2, Cruz Azul 2: Much like the Juárez-Tigres game, this one appeared all but over approaching the 75th minute, but Atlas was able to get two quick goals to salvage a draw. Cruz Azul scored in the 14th minute when Paola González was able to get to a corner kick and tap it home. Atlas then started shelling Cruz Azul but the visitors were able to withstand the barrage, going into the half up a goal. They’d tally another in the 69th minute when a defensive breakdown allowed Natalia Enciso to get onto a cross into the box unmarked and she tapped it past Ana Gaby Paz. Atlas would respond a few minutes later when in the 75th Fátima Delgado sent in a cross that found the head of Ana García and caught goalkeeper María Tarango standing still. Then in the 83rd it was Alison González who would find the ball at her feet in the box, hitting a left footed shot back against the grain and into the far corner of the net to rescue a point for the home side.

UNAM Pumas 1, Morelia 1: A good outing by both sides, and both are undefeated in their last two games. Both teams also got fantastic assists on their goals. In the 40th minute, a Monarcas player attempted a chilena but it wound up being a through ball for Karla Jiménez. Jiménez was able to hit a shot that goalkeeper Melany Villeda was able to slow down but not totally stop, and the ball rolled into the net as she watched helplessly. Pumas would get the equalizer in the 56th minute when Daniela Sánchez chased down a free kick that wound up by the goalpost heading out of bounds. Before it left the field of play, Sánchez hit the ball with the outside of her right foot, looping it back across the goalmouth. Jaquelin García leapt for it, but the ball arced over her head and onto the foot of a wide-open Daniela García, who was knocked the ball into the empty net. Both teams had ample chances to get a game winner but neither could convert and the sides wound up in a draw.

Veracruz 1, Guadalajara 1: The draw did neither team any favors, as Veracruz sees their Liguilla hopes dim even further while Chivas failed to keep pace with Tigres, who are now in sole possession of third place and two points ahead of El Rebaño Sagrado. Joseline Montoya got the lone goal for the visitors three minutes into stoppage time in the first half when Yashira Barrientos frove down the right side and hit a powerful shot that María Ayala was only able to push away. Montoya came flying down the left side of the box and kicked the ball hard into the top of the net to give Chivas the lead. In the 48th minute (this time after the half), Casandra Montero hit a shot from the top of the box that arced over goalkeeper Blanca Félix and in.

América 2, Pachuca 1: One of the best games of the weekend as América hosted Pachuca in a matchup we could see in the Liguilla. Viridiana Salazar got her tenth goal of the season in the sixth minute when Ana López hit a brilliant cross to Salazar, who was unmarked and hit a header past Jaidy Gutiérrez. The hosts would equalize in the 35th minute when Lucero Cuevas was played forward with a great ball over the top, creating a two-on-one situation. Cuevas drew in the defender, leaving Daniela Espinosa all alone. Cuevas hit a great square ball and Espinosa finished the chance. The game was pretty even until the 59th minute when Blair Lane went to try to clear a pass intended for Jana Gutiérrez, but instead kicked the ball off of Gutiérrez and up and over goalkeeper Alejandría Godínez for an autogol. Try as they might, Pachuca couldn’t pull off an equalizer, losing only their second match of the season.

Santos Laguna 0, Puebla 0: Santos has now gotten points in three of their last four matches, drawing Puebla 0-0 in Torreón. Santos may have felt they could have gotten more out of the game, playing up a player after Dulce Martínez was sent off for a brutal hit on Marianne Martínez. Goalkeeper Wendy Toledo got her fifth shutout of the season for Santos, while Brissa Rangel got her third.

Atlético San Luis 1, León 2: León continues their ascendance up the table with a win against San Luis. León got on the board first in the 71st minute when Paulina Pérez was in the right place at the right time to clean up a rebound off of a free kick and knock it past goalkeeper Cintia Monreal. León doubled their lead ten minutes later when Sanjuana Muñoz played a great ball forward for Dulce Piña. Piña took a touch and hit a shot that snuck in at the far post. Atleti drew one back in stoppage time when Ramona Paredes hit a shot from the top of the box, but that’s as close as the hosts would get.

Tijuana 2, Toluca 1: A great comeback win for Xolos Femenil, who now sit in a Liguilla spot despite being as low as 15th less that 10 weeks ago. Noemi Granados got hte lone goal for Toluca in the 49th minute when she hit a free kick from distance and Xolos goalkeeper Itzel González missed the ball. To be fair to González, the replay showed her being crashed into by both Mariel Román and Karime Abud, but the referee did not see fit to whistle either player for a foul. Xolos would equalize in the 74th minute when Jocelyn Orejel was able to get her head onto a free kick and put it past Alondra Ubaldo. Then in the 89th minute Yadira Toraya was able to head a free kick that took a high bounce off of the turf past Ubaldo for the game winner.

Bye week: Monterrey

Next week:

Friday, October 11:

Cruz Azul (5W 2D 5L) vs. Veracruz (2W 5D 5L)

Querétaro (5W 2D 5L) vs. Atlas (5W 6D 2L)

Sunday, October 13:

Guadalajara (7W 2D 3L) vs. Santos Laguna (3W 3D 6L)

Puebla (5W 2D 6L) vs. Tijuana (6W 3D 3L)

Monday, October 14:

Toluca (5W 3D 5L) vs. Atlético San Luis (2W 2D 9L)

América (6W 3D 3L) vs. UNAM Pumas (3W 5D 4L)

Pachuca (8W 2D 2L) vs. Juárez (1W 3D 9L)

Tigres UANL (7W 4D 1L) vs. Necaxa (0W 2D 10L)

León (4W 4D 4L) vs. Monterrey (10W 0D 2L)

Bye week: Morelia (5W 3D 5L)