Riley Mattingly Parker made her grand debut in Liga MX Femenil. And grand it was.
The former University of Alabama player — who was drafted by Racing Louisville in the 2023 NWSL Draft and loaned to Tigres — made her debut on Sunday night in Tigres’ win over Club León, 4-1. Mattingly Parker subbed on in the 59th minute for Belén Cruz, who scored the opening goal in the 7th minute off a header inside the box on a free kick.
Mattingly Parker picked up a bobbled ball in the box and sent it past León goalkeeper María Martínez. Martínez actually got a hand on the ball, but Mattingly Parker’s hit was too much, sending the ball past the goal line.
It was a big day for American-born players for Tigres in the victory, with Maricarmen Reyes and Mia Fishel both finding the back of the net. Reyes represents the Mexican women’s national team, but was born in California. Fishel, last season’s Golden Boot winner, scored first between the pair, in the 22nd minute, shooting to the side of oncoming goalkeeper Martínez.
Meanwhile, Reyes scored after a lucky deflection bounced to her, just inches away from goal. The play was set up by Lizbeth Ovalle, after a cut-back inside the box to fake out her defender.
Tigres needed a big game, coming off back-to-back losses against FC Juárez and Pachuca. The double losses was the first time in Tigres history that a two-game losing streak occurred. Not wanting to make that a habit, Tigres unleashed goals (and their chip on their shoulder) against Club León.
However, it wasn’t a clean sheet, as Briana Woodall, an alum of Sam Houston State University scored in the 65th minute. Woodall has represented Mexico at the youth level and is from Texas. Club León will look to rebound against FC Juárez in Week 9. León has not won a game since their opening Week 1 victory against Necaxa.
Meanwhile, Carmelina Moscato and Tigres will look to get back to consistent winning ways against Club Tijuana, who drew against Atlético San Luis on Sunday.
Highlight: FC Juárez 0, C.F. Monterrey 2
FC Juárez is off to a hot start, but C.F. Monterrey decided to humble them on Friday night. Nigerian international Chinwendu Ihezuo, who recently featured in the 2023 Revelations Cup, scored the opening goal in the 12th minute to silence the Juárez crowd. After a swing and a miss in front of goal by teammate Carlee Giammona — a Pepperdine alum — Ihezuo picked up the open ball in the box and cooly slot it past Juárez goalkeeper Stefani Jiménez.
In the first half, Monterrey doubled their lead thanks to captain Rebeca Bernal. Christina Burkenroad picked up a lofted ball — that almost looked like an American football punt — and crossed it, undefended, in the box to Bernal.
FC Juárez has taken down top sides like Pachuca and Tigres, but also fell to Chivas earlier this season. Either way, FC Juárez has shown that they can hang with the top sides. Liga MX Femenil fans should circle their April 2 match against Club América, another top-table team.
Las Bravas will look to earn three points over Club León in Week 9. Meanwhile, Rayadas will look to keep their undefeated streak rolling, taking on Chivas de Guadalajara.
Highlight: Pachuca 2, Club América 3
Pachuca Femenil has won some big games in the last few years, but have also dropped some head-turning matches. Just a week after upsetting Tigres, Pachuca dropped the ball against Club América — and at home, nonetheless.
América got off to a hot start in enemy territory, with María “Natalia” Mauleón scoring just 17 seconds after the first kick. Mauleón passed it to teammate Katty Martínez, who gave a dink-and-dunk pass right back to the 21-year-old striker.
Martínez added a goal of her own in the 15th minute off a header lofted into the box. Four minutes later, Andrea Pereira added the game-winning tally in the 19th minute with a converted penalty kick past former América goalkeeper Renata Masciarelli.
All of the scoring happened in the first half — and within the first 20 minutes. Spanish international Jenni Hermoso originally tied the game at one apiece in the 5th minute, thanks to a shot that deflected off an América shoe and bounced into goal. In the 9th minute, Pachuca actually took the lead, with Karen Díaz scoring off a corner.
Pachuca was riding a four-game winning streak before the loss. They’ll look to regain that momentum on the road against C.F. Monterrey. Club América will return home on March 13 to host Atlas.
Other Clausura Week 8 Scores
- Cruz Azul 1-1 Querétaro
- Puebla 1-0 Mazatlán
- Chivas de Guadalajara 2-1 Atlas
- Atlético San Luis 0-0 Club Tijuana
- Toluca 0-0 UNAM Pumas
- Santos Laguna 3-0 Necaxa
Liga MX Femenil Clausura 2023 Table | Week 8
NOTE: The top eight teams in Liga MX Femenil will qualify for the Liguilla, which are the playoffs.
| Team | W | D | L | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.F. Monterrey | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 24 |
| Chivas de Guadalajara | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 22 |
| Club América | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 20 |
| Pachuca | 6 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 17 | 18 |
| UANL Tigres | 6 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 18 |
| FC Juárez | 5 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 16 |
| Club Tijuana | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | -1 | 12 |
| Atlas | 4 | 0 | 4 | 19 | -5 | 12 |
| Cruz Azul | 2 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| Atlético San Luis | 3 | 1 | 4 | 14 | -1 | 10 |
| Querétaro | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -1 | 9 |
| UNAM Pumas | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | -2 | 8 |
| Santos Laguna | 2 | 2 | 4 | 15 | -6 | 8 |
| Puebla | 2 | 0 | 6 | 19 | -14 | 6 |
| Toluca | 1 | 2 | 5 | 18 | -11 | 5 |
| Club León | 1 | 1 | 6 | 18 | -12 | 4 |
| Mazatlán | 1 | 0 | 7 | 32 | -29 | 3 |
| Necaxa | 0 | 0 | 8 | 25 | -23 | 0 |
Looking Ahead: Clausura 2023 | Week 9
*All Times in Eastern Time. All matches on ViX streaming for free.
Friday, March 10: Querétaro vs. Chivas de Guadalajara at 6:05 PM
Friday, March 10: Club Tijuana vs. UANL Tigres at 8:06 PM
Saturday, March 11: UNAM Pumas vs. Puebla at 1 PM
Sunday, March 12: Atlético San Luis vs. Toluca at 7 PM
Monday, March 13: Necaxa vs. Cruz Azul at 7 PM
Monday, March 13: Club América vs. Atlas at 9 PM
Monday, March 13: Club León vs. FC Juárez at 9:05 PM
Monday, March 13: Mazatlán vs. Santos Laguna at 11 PM
Monday, March 13: C.F. Monterrey vs. Pachuca at 11:06 PM
