Liga MX Femenil recap - Week 7

Doble jornada! The twice a season week where we are blessed with soccer on Wednesday and Thursday in between the regular Sunday and Monday schedule we are used to. This week saw some exciting matches on both days.

Atlas 2, Necaxa 0: Necaxa’s woes continue at the hands of Atlas, who are continuing to climb up the table despite a slow start. Zellyka Arce got her third goal of the season in the 20th minute when Alejandra Franco hit a cross from the right side of the pitch into the box. Arce was able to get up and get her head on it, knocking it past goalkeeper Balbina Treviño. Atlas dominated the game, and their dominance was rewarded in the 86th minute when a poor clearance went to Fabiola Ibarra, who was stationed at the top of the box. She was able to take a touch and hit a left-footed shot that went through the legs of a defender and past a diving Treviño.

UNAM Pumas 0, Veracruz 0: Pumas played their second scoreless draw in a row, and Veracruz and goalkeeper María Ayala hasn’t given up a goal in 180 minutes. Pumas goalkeeper Melany Villeda is also on a shutout streak of her own, going 236 minutes without conceding a goal.

Cruz Azul 0, Tigres UANL 2: Cruz Azul still has some room for improvement, as the upstart side ran into a Tigres team that is the only club left yet to suffer a loss. Jacqueline Ovalle scored off of a training ground set piece in the 34th minute, and Belén Cruz got the second goal in the 72nd when she got a foot to a cross into the box from Ovalle.

Querétaro 1, Puebla 2: Querétaro got out to a good start but ultimately couldn’t hang on as Puebla scored twice in the second half to come away with all three points. Alejandra Tapia got Querétaro’s lone goal when she stole the ball, dribbled forward, and hit a shot from about 20 yards out that beat goalkeeper Brissa Rangel. In the 56th, Ivonne Najar hit a perfectly weighted pass up to Emily González in the box, who took a touch and fired past goalkeeper Natalia Acuña to tie the game. In the 66th, Puebla would spring a brilliant counterattack that culminated with Andrea Ortega walking the ball into the net past an out of position Acuña.

Morelia 2, Atlético San Luis 0: Morelia had two early goals and held on to get their second win of the season. María Cruzaley got her second goal of the season in the 20th minute when she was able to get a head on an attempted punch out by Atleti goalkeeper Cintia Monreal. Karla Jiménez hit a perfect through ball up to Alejandra Calderón in the 36th minute and Calderón was able to shoot one past Monreal for the second goal of the afternoon.

Toluca 1, América 2: América continues their ascent up the table as they hand Toluca just their second defeat of the year. In the 20th minute, Jen Muñoz picked up her second goal of the season when she hit a fantastic half-volley off of a corner kick by Dorian Hernández. Toluca would tie it up in the 74th minute when Montserrat Peña sent a cross into a sprinting Nati Mauleon, who was able to jump in stride and head the ball past goalkeeper Renata Masciarelli. Four minutes later though Hernández had another corner kick. She sent it into the box to the far post and it was headed down by Marcela Valera and banged home by Daniela Espinosa for her second goal of the season.

Tijuana 4, Santos Laguna 2: A high-scoring affair out on the frontera as Xolos Femenil win their third straight match. The match was played on a grass training field adjacent to Estadio Caliente due to a motocross event taking place inside the stadium. Alexxandra Ramírez got the scoring started in the 30th minute when she converted a penalty. Isela Ojeda doubled the lead when she got on the end of a great pass from Ramírez out on the right wing and banked it in off of the underside of the crossbar. Betzy Cuevas would get her first goal in a Xolos Femenil uniform in the 40th minute when she got a close range header on a pass in from Shelia Pulido. After the half, Maria Barajas got to a pass from Renae Cuéllar and headed it past Santos goalkeeper Wendy Toledo. In the 50th minute, Cuéllar would get a goal of her own when she got to a pass from Inglis Hernández, sprinted toward goal, and fired one past Toledo. Cuéllar would get her second on the afternoon and her fifth goal of the season when she made a run in on goal and fired far post past Toledo.

León 1, Pachuca 1: Honors even in León as La Fiera draws Tuzos Femenil. Diana Fierro put the visitors up in the 58th minute with an impossibly tight angle shot that looked like it was deflected as it went in just under the crossbar. Two minutes later however Daniela Calderón would equalize when she was picked out by a perfectly weighted cross into the box that she was able to gather and calmly slot past goalkeeper Alejandría Godínez.

Monterrey 2, Juárez 1: Rayadas remain at the top of the table thanks to a 2-1 win over Juárez. Jazmin Aguas scored in the eighth minute when she was able to get to a rebound in the box before it could be cleared and knock it past goalkeeper Silvia Machuca. Juárez would level the match in the 50th when Jessica Vázquez got to a square ball by Carmen González and hit a shot with the outside of her foot far post to beat goalkeeper Mariana Zárraga. But Desirée Monsiviás was in the right place at the right time in the 68th minute when Aylin Aviléz’s shot was saved but Machuca gave up a big rebound.

Bye week: Guadalajara

Next week:

Sunday, August 25:

Puebla (3W 0D 4L) vs. UNAM Pumas (1W 3D 3L)

Necaxa (0W 1D 5L) vs. Morelia (2W 1D 4L)

Monday, August 26:

Veracruz (2W 3D 2L) vs. Toluca (4W 1D 2L)

América (3W 2D 1L) vs. Tijuana (3W 2D 1L)

Pachuca (5W 1D 1L) vs. Cruz Azul (4W 0D 3L)

Tigres UANL (3W 3D 0L) vs. Monterrey (6W 0D 1L)

Atlético San Luis (2W 2D 3L) vs. Querétaro (3W 1D 2L)

Guadalajara (3W 0D 3L) vs. Juárez (0W 2D 5L)

Santos Laguna (1W 1D 4L) vs. Atlas (3W 2D 2L)

Bye week: León (1W 3D 3L)