Last week, the Liga MX Femenil Liguilla playoffs were set with the top eight teams clinching spots. This week, the order had one flip, with Santos Laguna tumbling down to sixth place and Club America moving up a spot. We break down what happened in the final Apertura regular-season week in Mexico.
Club América 4, Club León 1
Club América jumped up to fifth place after a victory over Club León, and a loss from Santos Laguna. América dominated León, a bottom-table team. Sarah Luebbert, who is on loan from the Chicago Red Stars, scored in the opening minute, picking up the ball inside the box as León was unable to clear and striking past goalkeeper Diana Sanchez.
Daniela Espinosa tallied two goals in the first half — in the early first half, that is — and one in the second half for a hat-trick performance. Her sixth minute goal indeed went over the line, as León defender Victoria Swift stood on the goal-line but did not have the proper timing to clear the ball. Three minutes later, Espinosa found the back of the net again, scoring on a penalty kick.
In the second half, her hat-trick was completed with a right-foot strike that went off Sanchez’ fingertips and into net. Espinosa was surrounded by two León defenders, but still managed to get her shot off cleanly.
Club León did get on the board in the 27th minute, thanks to a Marta Cox goal run, controlling the ball as it bobbled up and down.
Santos Laguna 0, Tigres 2
Santos Laguna did not have a favorable final week matchup, taking on reigning champions, and first-place, Tigres. Santos goes into the playoffs down a spot now, and also on a three-game losing streak.
Tigres scored both goals in the second half. Lizbeth Ovalle got on the board first, in the 52nd minute, after a free kick bounced around the box and eventually fell to her. Captain Sandra Mayor scored the second and final goal after a cross from Ovalle found Mayor inside the box.
Tigres took the top spot, but Monterrey was hot on their heels the whole time.
Other Week 17 Apertura Scores
- Toluca 0-4 Chivas
- UNAM Pumas 4-0 Mazatlán
- C.F. Monterrey 5-0 Cruz Azul
- FC Juárez 2-4 Club Tijuana
- Pachuca 2-0 Querétaro
- Puebla 0-4 Atlas
- Atlético San Luis 1-1 Necaxa
Liga MX & Mexico WNT News and Notes
- Alicia Cervantes scored two goals for Chivas in their 4-0 victory over Toluca. With a total of 17 goals, Cervantes won the Apertura Golden Boot, edging out Renae Cuellar (15) from Club Tijuana and Monica Monsivais (14) from C.F. Monterrey. Alison Gonzalez and Stephany Mayor shared fourth and fifth place with 13 goals.
- Mexico will be playing Canada in two upcoming friendlies in the FIFA November international window. The matches will be played on November 27 and 30. Mexico will host the matches, and Canada will have their camp in Mexico, which Bev Priestman called “pivotal.”
Priestman said, “Canada’s trip to Mexico is pivotal in our journey towards the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Championship next summer. This tour will allow us to assess some players for the future and start some of our tactical adjustments ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023. The tight window between matches played at altitude will make for difficult conditions and it is all part of the group building experiences for what is to come in 2022 and beyond.” - The roster for the upcoming matches is below.
Liga MX Femenil Apertura Table — Week 17
NOTE: The top eight teams in Liga MX Femenil will qualify for the Liguilla, which are the playoffs. Those teams have been set.
| *Tigres | 15 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 45 | 47 |
| *C.F. Monterrey | 14 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 35 | 44 |
| *Atlas | 11 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 14 | 36 |
| *Chivas | 10 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 18 | 33 |
| *Club América | 9 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 14 | 31 |
| *Santos Laguna | 9 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 11 | 30 |
| *Tijuana | 9 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 11 | 30 |
| *Cruz Azul | 7 | 3 | 7 | 28 | -13 | 24 |
| Pachuca | 6 | 5 | 6 | 24 | 4 | 23 |
| UNAM Pumas | 5 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 3 | 21 |
| Puebla | 5 | 3 | 9 | 30 | -12 | 18 |
| Toluca | 5 | 3 | 9 | 27 | -14 | 18 |
| Necaxa | 5 | 3 | 9 | 34 | -18 | 18 |
| Querétaro | 4 | 4 | 9 | 23 | -4 | 16 |
| Club León | 3 | 5 | 9 | 30 | -12 | 14 |
| Atlético San Luis | 2 | 7 | 8 | 32 | -18 | 13 |
| Mazatlán | 1 | 3 | 13 | 40 | -34 | 6 |
| FC Juárez | 1 | 2 | 14 | 41 | -30 | 5 |
Looking Ahead: Apertura Playoffs Round 1
*All Times in Eastern Time
LEG ONE | Friday, December 3
Cruz Azul hosts Tigres at 12:45 PM
Santos Laguna hosts Atlas at 6 PM
Club America hosts Chivas de Guadalajara at 8 PM
Club Tijuana hosts C.F. Monterrey at 9:30 PM
LEG TWO | Monday, December 6
Atlas hosts Santos Laguna at 12 PM
Chivas de Guadalajara hosts Club America at 5 PM
Tigres hosts Cruz Azul at 7 PM
C.F. Monterrey hosts Club Tijuana at 9 PM
*As of right now, there is no TV listing set for the Liguilla. We will update if it becomes available.
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