Liga MX Femenil recap: 2021 Apertura, Week 13

Another week in the books that saw Chivas and Monterrey join Tigres in the Liguilla, while Santos, América, and Atlas all can clinch spots next week if results go the right way. At the other end, Juárez is eliminated, Mazatlán is still mathematically in it although only technically (they’d need to win out, have Cruz Azul or Tijuana lose out and overcome goal differential that’s 15 behind La Maquina and 22 behind Xolos Femenil).

Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 0, Toluca 1: Toluca gets a massive win to stay within three points of the current pack of clubs in the lower tier of Liguilla clubs, beating Querétaro 1-0. Neither team played particularly well on the offensive side of the ball, with Querétaro’s Brenda Viramontes having perhaps the best chance of the first half with a header that went just wide of the net in the 34th minute. Gallos had another decent chance in the start of the second half when Sandra Lozano lost a free kick in the sun and it went through her hands and off of her head, but luckily the ball was deflected enough that it went wide of the net. It all changed in the 62nd when Fernanda Sanchez was pulled down in the box by María Pontigo and a penalty was awarded. Arlett Tovar converted for the game winner, all but eliminating Querétaro from the Liguilla.

Guadalajara 1, Tigres UANL 1: A good game all around by two of the best teams in the league right now, but Tigres might have lost more than just their perfect record. Katty Martínez left the match in the 22nd minute after a hard collision, later diagnosed to be a second degree sprain of her right ankle with cartilage injury. Tigres went up in the 30th minute when Damaris Godínez took down Fer Elizondo in the box with a clumsy tackle. Nancy Antonio converted the penalty, and Tigres looked well on their way to rolling to a 13th consecutive win. But Chivas fought back and kept creating chances, with Licha Cervantes smashing a shot off of the crossbar in the 55th minute that hit the goal line but did not cross it fully. Cervantes was eventually rewarded in the 86th minute when Joseline Montoya sent a cross into the box. It was stopped short of the line by Miriam García, but Cervantes continued her run and knocked the ball into the back of the net.

Cruz Azul 2, Mazatlán 0: The result keeps Cruz Azul in the Liguilla picture while all but ends Mazatlán’s chances. Magaly Cortés was the hero for La Maquina, netting a brace for the win. In the sixth minute she hit a fabulous volley on a pass from Daniela Monroy. Monroy linked up with Cortés on the second goal in the 47th minute, hitting another long aerial pass from the right flank that Cortés headed in past Mariana Zárraga to seal the game. Itzayana González and the Cruz Azul defense got their fifth shutout of the season as Cruz Azul clings to the eighth and final Liguilla spot.

Necaxa 1, Monterrey 6: Rayadas clinched a Liguilla spot with a dominant 6-1 win over Necaxa. In the 18th minute it was Aylin Aviléz picking up her first of the afternoon, the beneficiary of a poor defensive effort by Necaxa, a nice touch by Desirée Monsiváis, and a well-placed shot from inside the box. Monsiváis got her first goal of the evening in the 25th, staying onside and hitting a shot from close range that seemingly pushed goalkeeper Lupita Olvera over the line with the ball. In the 35th, Monsiváis was taken down in the box by Karen De León and converted the penalty minutes later for her second goal. She’d get her third in the 44th, following up the rebound on her own shot and heading it in, completing the hat-trick before the end of the first half. Diana Evangelista scored just 13 seconds into the second half, taking advantage of another miscommunication by the Necaxa defense. Samantha Calvillo pulled one back for Necaxa in the 74th, catching the Rayadas defense perhaps relaxing a bit too much. Calvillo stole the ball, dribbled and fired to ruin the clean sheet. Aviléz got her second of the day in the 87th minute, chipping one over Olvera to bring the proceedings to a close.

Puebla F.C. 1, Club Atlético de San Luis 1: While both teams could have used a win to prop up their dwindling Liguilla hopes, a draw was in the cards for two teams on a very similar level this season. Emily González put San Luis up in the second minute, picking off a poor pass from the defense and hitting a nice shot that went in on the far post side. Puebla fought hard though, and in the 57th minute won a penalty when Verónica Martins was played in on goal and hit a shot that Brenda García committed a handball on. Estef Hernández converted the penalty with a cheeky chip to draw the sides level. San Luis had a late goal called back due to an offside, and the teams each left with a point on the day.

América 2, Tijuana 0: A possible Liguilla matchup between two good teams ends with América getting a solid win at home against Xolos Femenil. América pressured early and often and it paid off in the 32nd when Annia Mejía brought down Dani Espinosa in the box and a penalty was awarded. Itzel González however made a fantastic save on Espinosa’s try from the spot to keep the sides scoreless going into the half. Casandra Cuevas broke the deadlock however in the 51st redirecting a Janelly Farías header off of a corner. Mayra Pelayo doubled the score in the 79th on another header that González just couldn’t get to. González however was the star of the show despite the final scoreline, making several fantastic saves to keep it from being a blowout.

León 0, Atlas 1: Perhaps not their best game of the season, but Atlas found a way to get a win on the road at León. Atlas had several chances to score, but just couldn’t seem to pull it off. León was always able to make a last-second clearance, or Atlas pushed chances wide, and sometimes just couldn’t get the shots off. They were finally able to get the stars to align in the 55th minute when Paola García rose up over her defender to head in a corner kick. Atlas can clinch a slot in the Liguilla next week if results go their way, while León could be eliminated.

Santos Laguna 2, UNAM Pumas 0: Santos breaks their team record for points and is within one of clinching their first ever Liguilla berth after a 2-0 win over Pumas in Torreón. Days after getting her first national team call up, Cinthya Peraza celebrated by getting her seventh goal of the season, chipping one over the head of Melany Villeda to put Santos up for good. Mariela Jiménez added an insurance goal in the 72nd, getting onto a nice pass from Peraza and shooting it past Villeda. Things went from bad to worse for Pumas in the 76th when Luz Duarte was shown a second yellow card and was sent off after just 31 minutes of work. Pumas are on the outside of the Liguilla picture looking in, three points behind Tijuana and Cruz Azul in the final two playoff spots with just four weeks left.

FC Juárez 1, Pachuca 3: Pachuca seals Juárez’ fate while keeping themselves in the Liguilla hunt with a 3-1 win at the Borderland. Natalia Gómez Junco was the hero of the night for Tuzas, teeing up a long range shot off of a corner kick in the 15th minute and then three minutes later getting onto a nice cross from Lucero Cuevas. In the 58th, Gómez Junco hit a pass that sprung Charlyn Corral, who immediately drew a penalty. Corral converted in the 59th to make it 3-0 for Pachuca. In the 85th Sumiko Gutiérrez committed a handball in the box, and Alejandra Curiel converted the penalty the following minute to grab the consolation goal as Juárez are officially mathematically eliminated from Liguilla play.

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Sub 17 results

Tigres UANL 2, Necaxa 0

León 1, Club Atlético de San Luis 1

Guadalajara 3, Club Tijuana 1

Pachuca 1, UNAM Pumas 1

América 3, Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 2

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Notes and other things

Monday marked the third anniversary of the murder of Mar Ibarra, who was one of the champions of women’s soccer in Mexico before Liga MX Femenil. Her killer or killers have never been brought to justice.

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The Global Reckoning continues, as Argentina’s Club Deportivo Español fired their femenino head coach, who has been charged with committing “sexual abuse with carnal access of a minor through violence” on a 15 year old player.

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The women’s U20 team from the Democratic Republic of Congo had to sleep in the street in Costa Rica after the DRC’s Federation didn’t pay the hotel where they were supposed to stay. This is an outrage, and the people responsible for this should be held accountable.

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To end on a positive note, the first edition of La Academia Femenil FIFA/FMF happened last week, with more than 1300 players from 10 (Mexican) states trying out and eleven of them being called up to the México U17 Women’s National Team. This is such a good step for soccer in Mexico, along with the U17 league.

If you have something that should be included in this segment, please reach out to me via twitter or email me at golazodelgringo@gmail.com

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Next week (all records are in W-D-L format, all times as listed):

Next week is a FIFA window, so there will be no club matches at the senior level.

Friday. October 23:

UNAM Pumas U17 (0-2-0) vs. Gallos Blancos de Querétaro U17 (0-0-2) - 10:00 AM

Club Tijuana U17 (0-0-2) vs. Club Atlético de San Luis U17 (0-1-2) - 11:00 AM

León U17 (1-1-0) vs. Atlas U17 (2-0-0) - 3:45 PM

Necaxa U17 (0-1-1) vs. Santos Laguna U17 (0-0-1) - 3:45 PM

Saturday, October 24:

Mazatlán FC U17 (0-1-0) vs. Tigres UANL U17 (2-0-0) - 10:00 AM

Pachuca U17 (1-1-0) vs. América U17 (1-1-0) - 11:00 AM

Friday, October 29:

Gallos Blancos de Querétaro (2-4-7) vs. Cruz Azul (5-3-5) - 5:00 PM - TVC Deportes (Mexico)

Mazatlán FC (1-3-9) vs. Atlas (7-3-3) - 8:00 PM - TVP (Mexico)

Saturday, October 30:

Guadalajara U17 (2-0-1) vs. Atlas U17 (2-0-0) - 10:00 AM

UNAM Pumas (3-6-4) vs. Toluca (4-3-6) - 12:00 PM - TUDN (Mexico)

Santos Laguna U17 (0-0-1) vs. Mazatlán FC U17 (0-1-0) - 3:45 PM

Sunday, October 31:

Club Tijuana U17 (0-0-2) vs. León U17 (1-1-0) - 11:00 AM

Puebla F.C. () vs. Guadalajara () - 12:00 PM - TVC Deportes (Mexico)

Monday, November 1:

Necaxa (4-2-7) vs. Club Tijuana (5-3-5) - 5:00 PM - TUDN (Mexico)

León (2-4-7) vs. Pachuca (3-5-5) - 7:00 PM

Monterrey (10-2-1) vs. América (8-3-2) - 7:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico)

Tigres UANL (12-1-0) vs. FC Juárez (1-2-10) - 7:00 PM - TUDN (Mexico)

Santos Laguna (8-3-2) vs. Club Atlético de San Luis (2-5-6) - 9:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico)