Liga MX Femenil recap - Week 6

While the relative youth of Liga MX Femenil lends an air of unpredictability to the league, it’s good to see what is happening in San Luis Potosí with Atlético San Luis. While only their first year in the league, Atleti has won two straight at home and attendance is averaging over 11,600 people. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, as their first match was a 6-1 loss to Atlas, but they’re proof that if a club is willing to invest in its femenil team it can thrive.

Necaxa 0, UNAM Pumas 0: A game that Pumas had to win but simply couldn’t. Necaxa had no points coming into the match and had conceded nine goals and managed to earn a scoreless draw against Pumas.

Juérez 0, Atlas 6: Juérez was always going to experience growing pains in their first season in the league, and so far this might be the most painful lesson for them so far. They were able to keep Atlas at bay until Zellyka Arce was able to beat the offside trap in the 50th minute, fake out a defender with a right-footed feint, and hit a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Silvia Machuca. In the 61st, it was Joana Robles with a blast from close range that Machuca got her hands to but couldn’t stop. Fabiola Ibarra would get her first of the evening in the 65th when she hit a volley from about the same place that Robles got her goal from. Adriana Iturbide would take a nice pass from Robles near the penalty spot, turn, and fire one that tucked just inside the post to give Atlas the 4-0 lead in the 69th minute. In the 78th, Ibarra would get her second when she converted a penalty for her second of the evening. Iturbide would also grab her second of the evening in stoppage when she fought off a defender, chipped Machuca, and followed up on her own rebound as it came off of the post to complete the evening.

Veracruz 1, León 0: Brenda García’s left-footed slow roller past goalkeeper Sandra Lozano in the 57th minute was the only notable event of the entire match, giving Veracruz their second win of the season. Tiburonas goalkeeper María Fernanda Ayala picked up her second shutout of the season.

América 3, Morelia 1: A wild one at Estadio Azteca. The game had barely begun when a Monarcas’ Karla Jiménez handled the ball in the box and the hosts were awarded a penalty. Daniela Espinosa converted the opportunity in the fourth minute, but Morelia leveled it minutes later when Jiménez would play a fantastic ball forward to Dalia Molina, who beat her defender to the ball and slotted a shot past goalkeeper Heidi González. América almost got a second goal in the 26th but Marypaz Barbosa headed the ball off of the goal line after goalkeeper Diana García had come too far off of the line. Lucero Cuevas would have better luck in the 28th when Montserrat Hernández played a fantastic cross to her and she knocked it past García. The game was fairly back and forth and neither side really could claim much of an advantage in play throughout most of the game. There was a scary moment in the 62nd when Espinosa took a ball directly to the face and had to be carted off of the pitch. Dorian Hernández got the insurance goal in the 83rd when she drove past the defense and hit a fantastic left-footed blast that ricocheted in off of the far post.

Guadalajara 0, Tijuana 1: A good road win for Tijuana, beating a good Chivas team 1-0 at Estadio Akron. Orange County, California native Jocely Orejel scored the game’s lone goal in the 29th minute when the hosts couldn’t clear a corner kick out of the box. Orejel pounced on it and manged to bang it in despite the chaos in the box. Chivas had an opportunity to tie the game in the 75th when they were awarded a penalty but goalkeeper Itzel González made a diving save on Dania Pérez’ shot.

Pachuca 1, Toluca 2: An absolutely bananas ending to an otherwise mundane game. Pachuca got on the board first in the 47th when Natalia Mauleon drove a shot past goalkeeper Alejandría Godínez. It would remaing that way until the 94th minute when Lizbeth Ángeles knotted the match to the delight of the home fans. But Toluca aren’t the Red Devils because they play nice. On the restart, they drove down and Mariel Román was able to get on the end of a cross into the box and hit it home to give Toluca the win.

Tigres UANL 4, Puebla 0: Tigres continue to be the gold standard of the league, downing a decent Puebla team 4-0 at Estadio Universitario. Belén Cruz put Tigres up in the eighth minute when she got on the end of a Paulina Solís cross. Her initial tap was saved by goalkeeper Brissa Rangel, but Cruz hit the rebound with force to beat Rangel. Lizbeth Ovalle scored a golazo in the 60th when she beat Puebla’s defense and hit a shot that Maria López tried to head out but wound up heading off of the bar instead. Katty Martínez scored her fourth goal of the season in the 65th minute when she converted a penalty. Jacqui Ovalle got her second of the game in the 70th minute when she was able to get to a cross from Natalia Gómez Junco and shoot it past Rangel.

Atlético San Luis 2, Cruz Azul 1: Atlético San Luis is gaining a reputation for having a good crowd atmosphere for Liga MX Femenil matches, and it seems like it’s turning into a home field advantage too as Atleti won their second straight match at home, downing Cruz Azul 2-1. A crowd of 10,390 was on hand for the match. Karen Vázquez put the hosts up in the 61st minute when she got on the end of a long ball and tipped it up and over goalkeeper Karla Morales, who could only watch the ball slowly roll into the net. In the 73rd, Guillermina Martínez was shown a red card and Cruz Azul went down to 10 players. They’d get a break minutes later when they were awarded a penalty and Daniela Monroy converted in the 77th minute, but Karen Vázquez would be the hero on the evening when she hit a shot from the top of the box that went in just under the bar in the 87th.

Santos Laguna 1, Monterrey 2: A good showing from an improving Santos Laguna, but Monterrey was too much as Los Guerreras fall at home 2-1. Santos goalkeeper Wendy Toledo made a huge save in the seventh minute to keep the sides level when she denied a point blank opportunity. Isela Ojeda put Santos up early when she hit an inch perfect shot to evade the outstretched leg of goalkeeper Mariana Zárraga and tuck just inside the far post. Rayadas would draw one back in the 51st when Desireé Monsiváis beat a defender to the ball, cut inside, and uncorked a shot that beat Toledo. Then as the clock struck 90’, Monsiváis would get her fifth of the season when she made a fantastic run down the left and hit a shot that just snuck inside the far post.

Bye week: Querétaro

Next week:

Wednesday, August 21:

Atlas (2W 2D 2L) vs. Necaxa (0W 1D 4L)

UNAM Pumas (1W 2D 3L) vs. Veracruz (2W 2D 2L)

Thursday, August 22:

Cruz Azul (4W 0D 2L) vs. Tigres UANL (2W 3D 0L)

Querétaro (3W 1D 1L) vs. Puebla (2W 0D 4L)

Morelia (1W 1D 4L) vs. Atlético San Luis (2W 2D 2L)

Toluca (4W 1D 1L) vs. América (2W 2D 1L)

Tijuana (2W 2D 1L) vs. Santos Laguna (1W 1D 3L)

León (1W 2D 3L) vs. Pachuca (5W 0D 1L)

Monterrey (5W 0D 1L) vs. Juárez (0W 2D 4L

Bye week: Guadalajara (3W 0D 3L)