Liga MX Femenil has been busy with teams on the hunt for a playoff spot. In Week 14, the league welcomed three more teams to qualify for the Liguilla with already-qualified clubs C.F. Monterrey and Chivas.
Pachuca, Tigres and Club América stamped their ticket to the Clausura playoffs. There are three more spots up for grabs. Right now, after Week 15 competition saw a few ties and an upset by Pumas, those three spots are occupied by Atlas, Club Tijuana and FC Juárez.
However, one team has been seeing their stock rise, especially after recording four wins and one draw in their last five matches. Toluca’s most recent victory was a 2-0 home win over Club León. Vanessa Penuna and Brenda Da Graca scored in the 18th and 20th minutes, respectively.
After a little bit of back-and-forth passing at the top of the penalty area, Penuna struck and snuck the ball just over the head of León goalkeeper María Martínez.
Just a few minutes later, Da Graca volleyed the ball to herself inside the penalty area, surrounded by four green shirts, enclosing in on her. Toluca ended up keeping a clean sheet, too, and have skyrocketed up the table to ninth place. They are hot on the heels of FC Juárez, who have the same amount of points (22), and sit in eighth place, due to a better goal differential (+8, compared to -1).
Toluca and FC Juárez, on paper, have easier contests in Week 16. Toluca will be on the road against Cruz Azul, who have sunk down to 15th place, while FC Juárez will take on 17th-place Necaxa on the road.
In Week 17, Toluca doesn’t have the lucky end of the stick. They’ll be at home, but Toluca will be taking on Club América on May 12 in the regular-season finale. Meanwhile, FC Juárez has, at home, 16th-place Puebla.
But, there’s also the question of Club Tijuana, who have recorded two draws, two losses and only one win in their last five matches. Their most recent scoreline was a 1-1 draw against Querétaro, at home. In the final two weeks, Tijuana faces off with Club León (away) and Chivas de Guadalajara (home).
Tijuana sits in seventh place with 23 points. There is a good chance that Juárez and Toluca could both finish in the Liguilla. Needless to say, the next two weeks are going to be interesting, in regard to teams making the playoffs by the skin of their teeth.
Monterrey, Chivas battle for first place
Also, for the qualified teams, there is a fight for the top spot. After Chivas and Tigres drew, 1-1, this past weekend, Monterrey reclaimed the top spot with a 2-0 victory over Club América.
In the battle of Tigres and Chivas, it was the visiting Chivas side that got on the board first. Alicia Cervantes scored in the 18th minute off a deflected shot in goal. However, in the waning minutes of the second half, Lizbeth Ovalle scored in the 85th minute. Ovalle, a veteran member of Tigres, struck in the penalty area after faking out two defenders in front of goal.
Meanwhile, just a few miles away at Estadio BBVA, Monterrey blanked Club América at home. Aylin Aviléz and Chinwendu Ihezuo scored in the second half to give Rayadas a much-needed three points. Monterrey’s form had been dismal for a few weeks, with two draws and one loss leading up to last week. Now, Monterrey has picked up two wins against Tijuana and América.
Aviléz scored on a long free kick, after the ball bounced off a few heads. Meanwhile, Nigerian international Ihezuo nutmegged goalkeeper Itzel Velasco after she came off her line to collect the ball.
Rayadas has a tricky match coming up in Week 16, as they take on Atlas, who have quietly stayed in a playoff position for a few weeks now. However, in Week 17, Monterrey will take on Atlético San Luis, who started off the season strong, but have since slipped to the middle of the table.
The top spot is up for grabs, as Chivas will face Pachuca — who have the top two leading goal scorers in Liga MX Femenil right now, with Jenni Hermoso and Charlyn Corral both netting 17 goals this season — in Week 16 and then Club Tijuana in the regular-season finale.
Who will finish at the top of the table? And who will be the final three teams to punch their ticket to the Liguilla? Let us know in the comments what you think!
Other Clausura Week 15 Scores
- Pachuca 4-0 Atlético San Luis
- Puebla 1-3 Atlas
- Club Tijuana 1-1 Querétaro
- Mazatlán 0-1 Necaxa
- Santos Laguna 1-1 Cruz Azul
- UNAM Pumas 1-0 FC Juárez
Liga MX Femenil Clausura 2023 Table | Week 15
NOTE: The top eight teams in Liga MX Femenil will qualify for the Liguilla, which are the playoffs.
| C.F. Monterrey | 11 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 30 | 36 |
| Chivas de Guadalajara | 11 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 25 | 36 |
| Pachuca | 10 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 27 | 32 |
| UANL Tigres | 10 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 22 | 32 |
| Club América | 9 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 29 | 31 |
| Atlas | 7 | 3 | 5 | 29 | -6 | 24 |
| Club Tijuana | 6 | 5 | 4 | 26 | -5 | 23 |
| FC Juárez | 6 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 8 | 22 |
| Toluca | 6 | 4 | 5 | 22 | -1 | 22 |
| UNAM Pumas | 4 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 5 | 19 |
| Atlético San Luis | 5 | 2 | 8 | 28 | -9 | 17 |
| Querétaro | 3 | 6 | 6 | 12 | -3 | 15 |
| Club León | 4 | 3 | 8 | 27 | -11 | 15 |
| Santos Laguna | 3 | 5 | 7 | 26 | -9 | 14 |
| Cruz Azul | 2 | 7 | 6 | 19 | -5 | 13 |
| Puebla | 3 | 3 | 9 | 30 | -17 | 12 |
| Necaxa | 2 | 0 | 13 | 42 | -33 | 6 |
| Mazatlán | 1 | 1 | 13 | 52 | -47 | 4 |
Want even more women’s sports coverage?
Readers of The Equalizer can now save 50% on their subscription to our partner publication, The IX. Delivered six days a week, The IX will help you catch up on the latest headlines in women’s soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics.
Subscribe to The IX
Looking Ahead: Clausura 2023 | Week 16
*All Times in Eastern Time. All matches on ViX streaming for free.
Friday, May 5: Club América vs. Mazatlán at 5:45 PM
Friday, May 5: Querétaro vs. UANL Tigres at 7:05 PM
Friday, May 5: Atlas vs. C.F. Monterrey at 11:06 PM
Saturday, May 6: Cruz Azul vs. Toluca at 2 PM
Monday, May 8: Necaxa vs. FC Juárez at 7 PM
Monday, May 8: Atlético San Luis vs. UNAM Pumas at 7 PM
Monday, May 8: Club León vs. Club Tijuana at 7:05 PM
Monday, May 8: Santos Laguna vs. Puebla at 9:06 PM
Monday, May 8: Chivas de Guadalajara vs. Pachuca at 11:10 PM
More...