Liga MX Femenil Week 10 Recap

We are approaching that point in the season where some teams will start to clinch playoff berths and others will be eliminated from contention. It’s the story of every season; the promise of the first couple of weeks inevitably hit snags, and in a 17 game sprint, those snags can quickly stop your season dead in its tracks.

Rayadas are the closest of any team to hitting a milestone, with a win and a losses by Cruz Azul and San Luis cementing their ninth straight trip to the Liguilla. The best action however will probably be around the eighth and final spot, as with seven games left there are eight teams within five points of eighth place Atlas. Atlas also has a -10 goal differential at the moment, meaning keeping ahead of everyone on points alone will be critical.

Game of the Week

FC Juárez 3, Club Atlético de San Luis 2

I almost put Chivas-Rayadas down as game of the week, but it wasn’t quite as fun as this one. Jasmine Casarez took advantage of a fortunate rebound in the fourth minute, rifling it into the back of the net, and then in the ninth minute it was Miah Zuazua’s run to the back post to get onto a cross from Casarez that doubled the lead. But San Luis wasn’t out of it just yet. The visitors came roaring back, with Joana Robles earning a penalty in the 18th minute and converting it in the 20th. Zuazua looked to have had a brace in the 26th minute, but it was inexplicably called offside. Dani Carrandí got onto a ball in the 41st that the Juárez defense misplayed to draw the sides level going into the half.

The second half was absolutely wild, with Jermaine Seoposenwe having a bonkers goal (rightfully) called offside, and Nicole Buenfil stopping a ball from fully crossing over the line after it hit off of the crossbar and then her back. Seoposenwe then proceeded to hit the crossbar twice from distance and then Vanessa González was sent off after getting her second yellow card when she got tangled up with Andrea Sánchez. Just when it looked like San Luis was going to survive and get a point, Blanca Solís was subbed on and on the first play headed in a corner kick from Zuazua to get the game winner. Deep in stoppage Natalia Gómez Junco hit the crossbar on a free kick and San Luis tried everything to get an equalizer but couldn’t get anything before the final whistle blew.

Other scores:

Atlas 1, UNAM Pumas 1

Both of these teams really needed a win to bolster their claims to the final Liguilla berth, and neither could deliver. Both had several chances, and while both Ana Gaby Paz and Melany Villeda put in their usual solid shifts, their offenses also let quite a few chances go to waste. Gabi Juárez put Pumas up in the 51st minute, the beneficiary of a great play by Bibiana Quintos to beat Alejandra Lomelí to the ball before it went over the end line and cross it in for Juárez to knock it in. It looked like Pumas was going to get the road win but in the sixth minute of stoppage Brenda Ceren hit a diving header to secure the draw for Atlas.

Cruz Azul 2, León 2

Another fun one from this week. Daniela Flores won a (dubious) penalty in the third minute and Daniela Monroy converted a minute later to give the hosts an early lead. Mariana Larroquette earned a penalty in the 17th minute, but her shot was stopped by Itzayana González. Cruz Azul looked to have doubled the lead in the 43rd minute but it was rightfully called offside. Mayalu Rausch pulled León level in the 53rd minute with a golazo from distance. Larroquette got her goal in the 64th minute, taking advantage of a defensive miscommunication to get her header, but two minutes later Karime Abud got a goal from an impossibly tight angle to get the draw for La Máquina.

Puebla F.C. 1, Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 1

Both teams really needed three points in order to help them make up ground on Atlas for the final Liguilla spot, but a draw was a fair result for this one. Jazmín Enrigue got a header off of a corner kick in the 29th minute to give Gallos the lead, but it wouldn’t make it to the half as Elena Sainz was the final outlet on a series of nifty passes, knocking it past Marta Alemany for the equalizer in the 41st minute.

Guadalajara 2, Rayadas de Monterrey 2

This one was such a fun game to watch. Both teams really went at one another, not backing down for a moment. Monterrey got on the board first when Carlee Giammona unleashed a bomb from about 30 yards out in the ninth minute and doubled the lead in the 31st on Christina Burkenroad’s tenth goal of the season, tying her with Charlyn Corral and Jenni Hermoso. But Chivas came back, with Damaris Godínez getting to the rebound of a Dr. Adriana “Boyi” Iturbide header and knocking it into the empty net in the 37th minute. Dr. Boyi almost had one of her own in the 58th minute, but it was chalked off as offside.l Chivas didn’t give up and their hard work paid off in the 69th minute when Caro Jaramillo converted a penalty to draw the sides level.

I was impressed with both teams goalkeepers. Despite each giving up two goals, they also each made several saves to keep their teams in it. These two teams should go very far not only in the regular season but in the Liguilla as well.

Necaxa 2, Club Tijuana 3

Necaxa really almost pulled off two results in a row, but eventually Tijuana came through to get the 3-2 win. Samantha Calvillo got the home side up first in the seventh minute, knocking a nice pass from Karen Reyes in past Siena Ruelas. Connie Caliz drew a penalty for Tijuana immediately after the start of the second half, and Renae Cuéllar converted the shot from the spot. Necaxa was awarded a penalty in the 53rd on a Xolos Femenil handball in the box, and Diana Anguiano put the hosts up once more. Verónica Pérez hit a shot through traffic in the 57th to pull Tijuana even, and then Paola Villamizar got the game winner in the 74th when Las Centellas couldn’t clear the ball quick enough.

I’m not big on moral victories, but Necaxa should look at how well they did when they came out playing with confidence. Xolos Femenil are no pushovers, and Necaxa really looked like they were going to get something from the match.

Santos Laguna 0, Toluca 2

Kayla Thompson got her third shutout in eight games for Toluca as they get a 2-0 win over Santos on the road. Santos has plenty of opportunities, but couldn’t convert on them. Brenda Woch put Toluca up immediately after the start of the second half, capitalizing on a defensive error deep with a beautiful curling goal, and Mariel Román added an insurance goal in the 74th, earning a penalty and converting it past Hannia De Ávila. De Ávila made several saves down the stretch to keep Las Guerreras in it, but ultimately they could not find a scoring touch and now sit tied with Toluca four points behind Atlas for the final Liguilla spot.

Tigres UANL 1, América 0

Surprisingly not the best game of the week, but it was good to see the two best teams go toe-to-toe. Both teams had plenty of chances, but neither could make much of anything happen with them. Both Ceci Santiago and Itzel Velasco played really well, keeping their teams in the match until the final whistle. Stephany Mayor came off in the 18th minute after a hard tackle a few minutes earlier from Eva González. Karen Luna saved a goal in the 42nd minute when Velasco bobbled a save, clearing it off of the line. Mia Fishel looked to have drawn a penalty in the 85th minute when her attempt at a chilena hit González in the arm, but nothing was called. In the seventh minute of stoppage time, Andrea Pereira took down Jackie Ovalle in the box, and Fishel converted the penalty to give the hosts the win in dramatic fashion.

Pachuca 2, Mazatlán FC 0

A win is a win, but Pachuca may be disappointed they didn’t win by more, as they beat Mazatlán 2-0 at home. Pachuca took 30 shots (not a typo!) against Mazatlán but it wasn’t until Jenni Hermoso got a header past Jennifer Amaro heading into first half stoppage that Pachuca took the lead. Marta Cox got Pachuca’s second in the 52nd minute, cleaning up a rebound on a shot by Hermoso. Credit to Amaro for making some brilliant saves to keep Mazatlán close, but with that roster taking 30 shots, Pachuca should have won by a much larger margin.

Sub 18 results

Week 11

Saturday, March 18

Guadalajara 2, Club Tijuana 1

Tigres UANL 0, Atlas 1

Pachuca 3, Puebla 3

Toluca 2, América 0

Mazatlán FC 0, León 0

Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 1, UNAM Pumas 3

Sunday, March 19

Club Atlético de San Luis 0, Rayadas de Monterrey 1

FC Juárez 0, Necaxa 2

Bye: Cruz Azul (3-3-3), Santos Laguna (2-5-2)

Week 12 (all records are in W-D-L format, all times as listed):

Saturday, March 25

Necaxa (3-2-4) vs. Puebla F.C. (3-3-4) - 9:00 AM

Tigres UANL (6-0-3) vs. Club Tijuana (1-2-7) - 10:00 AM

UNAM Pumas (4-2-4) vs. FC Juárez (2-1-7) - 10:00 AM

América (6-2-2) vs. Pachuca (5-4-1) - 11:00 AM

Atlas (5-4-1) vs. Club Atlético de San Luis (1-4-4) - 3:45 PM

León (2-3-5) vs. Guadalajara (6-3-1) - 3:45 PM

Sunday, March 26

Rayadas de Monterrey (3-5-2) vs. Santos Laguna (2-5-2) - 10:00 AM

Cruz Azul (3-3-3) vs. Gallos Blancos de Querétaro (3-2-5)

Bye: Toluca (4-3-3), Mazatlán FC (2-4-3)

Liga MX Femenil Table

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