by Game of the Week
Guadalajara 2, FC Juárez 1
Go back a year or two and think about what your reaction would have been if someone told you that Juárez would go into the Akron, give Chivas everything they could handle, and lose a 2-1 squeaker.
Personally, I think I would have laughed.
But here we are in 2023 and Juárez did just that. They played Chivas tough and had they gotten a bounce here or there it could have been a very different match. Both teams played excellent soccer, making the other side work for everything. The match was even going into first half stoppage when Casandra Montero was left open in the box and got her head onto a cross from Caro Jaramillo. Then in the 56th minute Dr. Adriana “Boyi” Iturbide was able to make a great run, fighting off a defender and getting a great shot off.
Juárez didn’t give up, however, and in the 64th it looked like they had scored on a Jermaine Seoposenwe goal, but it was called offside. Replays showed that she appeared to be onside, prompting Seoposenwe to take to Twitter.
Juárez did get a break their way in the 85th minute on a clear handball in the box, and Blanca Solís converted the penalty. And though they fought until the final whistle, Juárez couldn’t quite find the equalizer.
While there are no such things as moral victories, Juárez is a program that is headed in the right direction and should be encouraged by taking Chivas the distance and almost clawing back a point. Chivas should also be encouraged by taking on a team that at points had them on the ropes, and still coming out of it with a win.
Other scores:
Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 0, Santos Laguna 0
Santos was unlucky to not take all three points, hitting the post and the crossbar in the first half and hitting the crossbar again in the second. Despite that, Querétaro finally had a break in the 89th minute but goalkeeper Hannia De Ávila stood tall and blocked the shot from Daniela Sánchez.
UNAM Pumas 2, Pachuca 3
Pumas did well to keep the match knotted at zero until Gabi Juárez converted a penalty in first half stoppage time. They doubled it on a golazo of a free kick from Marylin Díaz in the 48th minute, but a rare defensive error allowed Mónica Ocampo to hit a perfectly weighted pass to a wide open Jenni Hermoso in the 64th to draw one back for the visitors. Hermoso doubled it in the 77th with a header off of a free kick. Hermoso’s hat trick was spoiled by the post in the 90th minute, but in the waning seconds of stoppage Janelly Farías got a header in the box to seal the win for Pachuca.
León 0, Rayadas de Monterrey 1
Despite (another) standout performance from goalkeeper Ángeles Martínez, León fell 1-0 to Monterrey. Dani Solís got Rayadas’ first goal in the 26th minute, knocking in a nice left-footed shot from a tight angle. The match was a physical affair, and although León had some good opportunities down the stretch, including Mariana Larroquette just missing on a sliding shot six minutes into stoppage, Monterrey was able to hang on to remain unbeaten and untied.
Club Atlético de San Luis 5, Atlas 1
While there was focus on the storylines of Fernando Samayoa and former Atlas players going up against their old club, the story of the day was perhaps 18-year-old Luz Prieto, who picked up a huge win in her first minutes with the first team, leading San Luis to a 5-1 victory. Dani Carrandí put San Luis up in the second minute of play, and they never looked back. Fany Izaguirre, Bea Parra, Itzia Tenahua, and Julissa Dávila all scored for San Luis in the final 12 minutes of play, and the only blemish on Atleti’s evening was an Alejandra Franco goal in the 89th minute.
Club Tijuana 4, Puebla F.C. 1
In a streak that goes back to last season, Puebla is now winless in their last 11 games, dropping their sixth in a row against Tijuana. Dani Espinosa started the scoring, Renae Cuéllar had a hat trick, Mayra Pelayo looked dangerous all night and assisted on a Cuéllar goal, Paola Villamizar had two assists, and Angelina Hix got back onto the field for Xolos Femenil. Puebla, meanwhile, had trouble on defense all night, and despite having a couple of decent chances was only able to get one past Alejandra Gutiérrez on a Rebeca Villuendas free kick that deflected off of the wall.
Necaxa 0, América 6
It was the Kiana Palacios show, as “Súper Ki” bagged four in América’s 6-0 win over Necaxa, giving her a league-leading nine goals after four games. Katty Martínez and Andrea Pereira each got one of their own in the goleada, which keeps América within two points of the top three. Necaxa, meanwhile, remains without points after four matches and sinks to a -14 goal differential on the season.
Tigres UANL 2, Toluca 0
Tigres didn’t look as sharp as they normally do, but did enough to keep Toluca off the board to pick up a 2-0 win. To their credit, Toluca looked better than they have in recent weeks, but still never really threatened Tigres. Maricarmen Reyes picked up the first goal of her Liga MX Femenil career in the 53rd minute and Mia Fishel got her fourth this season to keep Tigres a perfect 4-0-0 on the season.
Mazatlán FC 1, Cruz Azul 3
Mazatlán continues their slide, losing 3-1 to Cruz Azul at El Kraken. María Peraza gave the visitors the lead in the 14th minute on a header in the box. Daniela Monroy converted a penalty in the 35th minute, and Gaby Huerta got a nice re-direction on a cross into the box in the 57th. Anahí Rentería drew one back for the hosts in the 86th minute with a beautiful curling left-footed shot, but it was far too little, far too late.
