Liga MX Femenil recap: 2021 Clausura, Week 14

It was another great week of action heading into the international break. Chivas and Atlas have joined Tigres in clinching a spot in the Liguilla, while Monterrey is all but guaranteed a spot. Meanwhile, Querétaro, Necaxa, San Luis, León, and Juárez all joined Puebla in being mathematically eliminated from the postseason. This week we also saw a special moment from Alison González, with a goal that was reminiscent of Diego Maradona’s Goal of the Century.

Club Atlético de San Luis 1, Atlas 2: Atlas clinches a spot in the Liguilla with the win over San Luis, who are now mathematically eliminated from postseason competition. Pao Alemán put San Luis up in the fourth minute, capitalizing on a defensive lapse by Atlas. Alison González tied it in the 14th on a nice touch to chip the goalkeeper, but it was her game-winning goal in the 36th that people will talk about for years to come.

Necaxa 2, FC Juárez 0: A tough season gets even tougher for Juárez as they lose to Necaxa 2-0. Shoda López put Necaxa up in the 35th when she was able to get to the rebound from a Stef Baz shot that was saved by Alondra Ubaldo. Juárez had plenty of chances but simply couldn’t convert them, and then in stoppage time Bri Escobedo hit a free kick that hit off of the bar and then ricocheted off of Ubaldo’s back and into the net for an own goal. Ultimately however both teams were mathematically eliminated from Liguilla play.

Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 1, León 0: Querétaro looked good, creating several chances but ultimately only was able to muster one goal as Gallos Blancos beat León 1-0. The lone goal of the game came in the 21st minute off of a corner kick, as Esmeralda Verdugo deflected the ball into her own net for the autogol. Both teams are mathematically out of the Liguilla race.

Guadalajara 4, UNAM Pumas 1: Chivas are looking less like a team simply trying to prove the doubters wrong and more like a team angry they’re not odds-on favorites to lift a trophy at the end of the season as they demolished Pumas 4-1. The first half was fairly even, and Pumas even had a couple of opportunities to score they couldn’t convert. Perhaps more troubling were the defensive giveaways that were bailed out in the last moment. While Chivas couldn’t convert these opportunities in the first half, they did in the second. In the 52nd minute, Licha Cervantes bagged her 16th goal in 14 games. She then set up Joseline Montoya in the 65th before Marlyn Campa drew one back for Pumas. Jaqueline Rodríguez scored off of a corner kick in the 76th to make it 3-1, but rolled her ankle and was subbed off immediately after. Then in the 84th Miriam Castillo hit a hopeful shot from distance that hit off of the post, then hit off of goalkeeper Melany Villeda’s back and in for Chivas’ fourth goal of the afternoon.

Puebla F.C. 2, Monterrey 3: Credit Puebla for hanging in and giving Rayadas fits despite being eliminated from the Liguilla last week. Puebla look to be setting a good foundation for next season, while Monterrey continues to be one of the dominant teams in the league. Rayadas scored first when Yamile Franco hit a beautiful arcing shot from distance in the 17th. Then Christina Burkenroad put on a show, scoring in the 34th after being granted too much time and space by the Puebla defense and then again in the 39th on a great feed from Diana Evangelista. But Puebla didn’t give up. Ibeth López got onto a great ball from Gloria Narváez and made it 3-1 in the 69th minute, and then in the 93rd Majo López headed in a corner kick to draw the home side within one. There was no time for an equalizer however and Monterrey sits one point from clinching a Liguilla berth.

Toluca 1, Mazatlán FC 0: A fairly even game that saw both goalkeepers shine but in the end it was Destinney Duron’s header in the 79th that sealed the win for Toluca. Sandra Lozano gets her fifth shutout of the season for Toluca, who sit in seventh place in the standings. Mazatlán now sit in 10th, trailing Cruz Azul by five points for the last spot with just three games left to play.

Tigres UANL 3, Cruz Azul 0: Tigres just keeps on rolling. Stephany Mayor scored 24 seconds in to give Tigres the lead, and they never really looked back after that. Nancy Antonio scored a smooth arcing golazo shortly after halftime to extend their lead. In the 75th it looked like Cruz Azul drew one back but Zoe Tapia was in an offside position and the linesperson called it correctly. Blanca Solís added one more in the 86th minute off of a header as Tigres remains at the top of the table while Cruz Azul has a two point lead on América for the eighth and final Liguilla spot.

Santos Laguna 1, América 2: A wild game that was physical and controversial. After the start of the second half Alexxandra Ramírez went after a ball, cleaning out Ximena Ríos and kneeing goalkeeper Renata Masciarelli in the head. Ramírez was shown a yellow card, perhaps a bit lucky not to see red. In the 51st minute, Marcela Valera tackled Daniela Espinosa in the box. Replays showed the contact was minimal if it existed at all, but the penalty was awarded and converted by Janelly Farías. Alexia Villanueva tied the match in the 59th, capitalizing on a defensive mistake and hitting a beautiful shot into the top corner from distance. Then just three minutes later Eva González equalized on a shot through traffic that Wendy Toledo got her hands on but couldn’t direct away from goal. Another controversial penalty call in the 67th when Ramírez jumped at a bouncing ball and went tumbling. Replays showed contact from the defender if it happened was minimal, but the penalty was awarded nonetheless. Captain Cinthya Peraza’s take was stopped by Masciarelli, preserving América’s win. Santos is still mathematically alive, but anything less than them winning out and Cruz Azul getting one point throughout their remaining three games eliminates them. América meanwhile are just two points out of the final spot.

Pachuca 2, Club Tijuana 1: Pachuca is quietly going about their business, sitting in sixth place and losing just once in their last seven games. Mónica Ocampo got her fifth goal of the season in the 34th thanks to a brilliant layoff from Viridiana Salazar. Renae Cuéllar pulled one back for Tijuana in the 42nd with a nice move and top shelf strike, but even Cuéllar’s iron will wasn’t enough to pull Xolos Femenil through to a point. Tijuana gave up a penalty in the 65th, and Salzar converted it in the 67th to seal the win for Tuzos Femenil.

Next week is the international break. The following week will be Week 15 (all records are in W-D-L format, all times as listed):

Friday, April 16:

Cruz Azul (6-4-4) vs. Guadalajara (9-3-2) - 4:00 PM - TUDN (Mexico)

Saturday, April 17:

Atlas (9-3-2) vs. Necaxa (3-4-7) - 10:00 AM - TVC Deportes (Mexico)

Mazatlán FC (4-5-5) vs. Pachuca (7-3-4) - 10:00 AM - TVP (Mexico)

UNAM Pumas (7-4-3) vs. Gallos Blancos de Querétaro (4-1-9) - 12:00 PM - TUDN (Mexico)

Monday, April 19:

Toluca (6-5-3) vs. Santos Laguna (3-5-6) - 4:00 PM - TUDN (Mexico)

León (3-2-9) vs. Club Atlético de San Luis (2-5-7) - 4:00 PM

Monterrey (9-2-3) vs. América (5-5-4) - 5:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico)

Club Tijuana (4-3-7) vs. Tigres UANL (10-3-1) - 7:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico)

FC Juárez (2-3-9) vs. Puebla F.C. (1-4-9) - 7:00 PM - TUDN (Mexico)