Liga MX Femenil recap: 2022 Apertura, Week 13

A quick turnaround during the doble jornada, but there were golazos galore in the abbreviated week. Tigres also joined Chivas in clinching a spot for the Liguilla, while Necaxa and Mazatlán stayed mathematically alive for one more week.

Game of the Week

Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 2, Toluca 3

Toluca got the win they needed to keep themselves in a good position to make the Liguilla, but Quéretaro put up a fight. Brenda Woch put Toluca up in the seventh minute, taking advantage of goalkeeper Marta Alemany inexplicably not picking up the ball in the area before Woch poked it into the back of the net. Woch got her second of the match in the 48th minute when Mariel Román was played in on a brilliant ball, drawing Alemany off of her line. When Alemany almost got to Román, the forward calmly played a ball in to Woch for the empty-netter. Ximena Ríos drew one back for the hosts in the 54th minute on a nasty shot from the top left side of the box that beat goalkeeper Daniela Lozano to the far corner. Toluca got the eventual game winner in the 71st when Yamanic Martínez hit a free kick forward that was headed back to Jazmín López. López hit a cross, and Carolina Miranda came seemingly out of nowhere to head the ball in past Alemany. Gallos weren’t done however and Sonia Vázquez pulled one back in the 89th minute, hitting a shot from the top of the box that beat Lozano through traffic. Toluca however was able to hang on and pick up the important win on the road, while Querétaro’s Liguilla hopes dimmed.

Other scores:

Necaxa 1, Santos Laguna 1

Club Atlético de San Luis 1, América 3

Pachuca 4, Atlas 0

Monterrey 1, Cruz Azul 0

Mazatlán FC 0, Club Tijuana 5

UNAM Pumas 1, Guadalajara 2

Tigres UANL 3, FC Juárez 0

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Notes and other things

After the whistle of the Santos-Necaxa game, the teams nearly came to blows. Tensions had been running high all game, with both teams fouling at will. Santos’ Alexia Villanueva and Necaxa’s Samantha Calvillo both being red carded after the match, and both received an extra game suspension from the Disciplinary Commission.

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Another horrific sexual abuse scandal, this time with the Zambian FA.

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The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has been embroiled in a schism between head coach Jorge Vilda and some of its best players. Word leaked that 15 players had signed a letter refusing to play unless Vilda was removed from power.

This prompted Alexia Putellas and other players to release a statement clarifying they didn’t resign from the national team and referring to the RFEF’s statement as “infantile”.

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Corinthians beat Internacional 4-1 to win the Campeonato Brasileiro 5-1 on aggregate. This is their fourth Brasileiro title, and this time they did it in front of 41,070 people, which sets the South American record for a women’s soccer match.

Don’t ever let them tell you no one pays attention to women’s soccer.

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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Game of Next Week

There are a couple of contenders, but América vs. Pachuca should be the best of the best. Both of these teams are coming in hot, although América suffered defeats recently to Puebla and Rayadas, while Pachuca also lost to Rayadas as well as Tigres. América can clinch a berth in the Liguilla with a win and a loss by both Cruz Azul and Pumas, while Pachuca seems to be a lock for the Liguilla as well. And if nothing else, both teams have star power and something to prove.

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

Sunday, September 25:

Cruz Azul (5-3-5) vs. Club Tijuana (7-3-3) - 3:45 PM - ViX+

Club Atlético de San Luis (4-0-9) vs. Gallos Blancos de Querétaro (3-3-7) - 5:00 PM - ESPN (Mexico)

Monday, September 26:

Atlas (3-5-5) vs. Puebla F.C. (3-1-8) - 3:45 PM

Toluca (7-1-5) vs. Tigres UANL (10-1-2) - 5:00 PM - ViX+

León (4-3-5) vs. Guadalajara (12-0-1) - 5:05 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico)

América (8-2-3) vs. Pachuca (7-1-5) - 7:00 PM - ViX+

Santos Laguna (3-1-9) vs. Mazatlán FC (2-2-9) - 7:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico), FOX Deportes (United States)

Monterrey (10-2-1) vs. Pumas UNAM (5-3-5) - 9:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico), FOX Deportes (United States)

FC Juárez (4-1-8) vs. Necaxa (1-4-8) - 9:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico)