The playoffs are two months away for Liga MX Femenil clubs, and the race for the top eight spots is heating up. C.F. Monterrey clinched a ticket to the Liguilla last week, and Tigres followed suit this weekend with a massive 6-0 victory against Atlético San Luis.
Toward the middle of the table, UNAM Pumas and Querétaro dropped points, as the race for spots six, seven and eight heat up. Take a look at what happened this past weekend in Mexico.
Toluca 3, Querétaro 0
Toluca, currently in 10th place with 13 points, blanked Querétaro at home, scoring all three of their goals in the second half. Querétaro currently occupies the eighth and final playoff spot with 14 points.
Diana Guatemala opened up scoring in the 54th minute, outrunning the defense and baited Gallos goalkeeper Vanessa Córdoba off her line. Guatemala juked Córdoba and slotted the ball into an empty net. Ten minutes later, Karen Becerril converted a penalty kick, shooting left. Córdoba dove left, but Becerril’s ball went past her and in net.
Zaira Miranda added the final goal in second-half stoppage time. Miranda picked up an errant back pass from Querétaro defender Alejandra Medina, as she was being pressured by Toluca forward Ashley Dominguez. Miranda shot into an empty net, as Jazmín Enrigue made a last-ditch attempt to clear the ball.
Querétaro and Club Tijuana have a big clash in Week 14. Tijuana sits in ninth place. In Week 12, Tijuana stunned Monterrey, handing the first-place team their first loss of the year. However, Tijuana has been anything but consistent this year. Querétaro is in the same territory. A win could give them a cushion for a playoff spot.
FC Juárez 1, UNAM Pumas 0
This was quite the stunner of Week 13. FC Juárez sits in last place on the Liga MX Femenil table, and this was only their second win of the season. However, it was a major blow to Pumas. Although Pumas does still sit in a playoff spot — they occupy the seventh-place spot with 16 points — this loss could come back and haunt them.
Juárez got on the board at home in the 65th minute. Perla Navarrete went flying down the left side of the pitch, cutting the ball back and then firing at a tough angle past goalkeeper Melany Villeda.
Juárez can’t make the playoffs and are playing for pride at this point. One of the under-funded clubs of Liga MX Femenil, what better way to go out than ruining the party for a couple teams?
C.F. Monterrey 3, Santos Laguna 1
With Tigres piling up two big victories — with a combined total of 12 goals — C.F. Monterrey needs to keep winning matches. They have 11 wins and one loss this year, and Tigres is showing no signs of slowing down either. Monterrey retained their first-place lead with a win over Santos Laguna on Sunday.
Yamile Franco opened up scoring in the 34th minute with a stunning free kick, taking the kick from about 25 yards out and watched it bounce into goal. A couple minutes later, Mónica Monsiváis shot from the top of the penalty area, sending her twisting shot past Santos Laguna goalkeeper Paola Calderón.
Marcela Valera pulled one back for Santos Laguna in the 62nd minute, heading a free kick past Rayadas goalkeeper Alejandría Godínez. Monterrey defender Alejandra Calderón attempted to clear the ball, but her header went behind her and toward the Santos attack. However, Monterrey added one more goal, with a tap-in goal from Barbara Olivieri.
Monterrey has a big game against red-hot Pachuca, who defeated Mazatlán, 5-0, on Monday. Pachuca has quietly slipped under the radar — and up the table into fourth place.
Other Clausura Week 13 Scores
- Cruz Azul 2-1 Atlas
- Puebla 1-1 Club América
- Atlético San Luis 0-6 Tigres
- Pachuca 5-0 Mazatlán
- Club León 0-2 Chivas
- Club Tijuana 1-1 Necaxa
Liga MX Femenil Clausura Table | Week 13
NOTE: The top eight teams in Liga MX Femenil will qualify for the Liguilla, which are the playoffs.
| C.F. Monterrey | 11 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 27 | 33 |
| Tigres | 9 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 28 | 30 |
| Chivas | 9 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 30 |
| Pachuca | 9 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 28 |
| Club América | 8 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 26 |
| Atlas | 4 | 5 | 3 | 18 | -1 | 17 |
| UNAM Pumas | 4 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 16 |
| Querétaro | 4 | 2 | 5 | 19 | -7 | 14 |
| Club Tijuana | 2 | 8 | 3 | 23 | -7 | 14 |
| Toluca | 3 | 4 | 5 | 23 | -5 | 13 |
| Cruz Azul | 3 | 3 | 6 | 20 | -8 | 12 |
| Club León | 3 | 3 | 6 | 23 | -11 | 12 |
| Puebla | 3 | 2 | 7 | 17 | -8 | 11 |
| Necaxa | 2 | 5 | 6 | 26 | -13 | 11 |
| Santos Laguna | 3 | 1 | 8 | 21 | -9 | 10 |
| Mazatlán | 2 | 4 | 7 | 25 | -16 | 10 |
| Atlético San Luis | 1 | 5 | 6 | 24 | -14 | 8 |
| FC Juárez | 2 | 1 | 9 | 20 | -8 | 7 |
Looking Ahead: Clausura Week 14
*All Times in Eastern Time.
** As of now, there are no matches on TUDN or TV.
Thursday, March 31: Necaxa vs. Atlético San Luis at 6 PM
Thursday, March 31: Club León vs. Cruz Azul at 11 PM
Thursday, March 31: Santos Laguna vs. Puebla at 11 PM
Friday, April 1: Club América vs. FC Juárez at 5:45 PM
Friday, April 1: Querétaro vs. Club Tijuana at 7 PM
Saturday, April 2: UNAM Pumas vs. Tigres at 2 PM
Saturday, April 2: Atlas vs. Toluca at 2 PM
Sunday, April 3: C.F. Monterrey vs. Pachuca at 8 PM
Sunday, April 3: Mazatlán vs. Chivas at 9 PM
More...