The playoff race in Liga MX Femenil is heating up. There are still three more weeks left in the regular season, but only three teams have clinched a spot in the Liguilla.
Joining Tigres and Club América in clinching playoff berths is Chivas de Guadalajara, who earned their spot after a 2-0 victory over Club León on Thursday night. Despite teams clinching spots, there is still movement to be had on the table. Club Tijuana is a team that has shifted up and down — primarily due to their recent draws.
However, Tijuana earned a big victory over Pachuca, ending the unbeaten streak for Tuzos. After starting the year with inconsistency, Pachuca started to find their footing in recent weeks, having not lost a game since Aug. 20, against Puebla.
Tijuana has enjoyed their own hot streak, going unbeaten in the last nine matches. Xolos stunned fans around the league when they earned a scoreless draw in Week 13 against Tigres, who currently sit in first place. On Thursday night, they took down Pachuca, 3-2, on the road.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair. Pachuca got on the board first, thanks to a goal from Alice Soto in the 11th minute. Soto picked up a pass at the top of the box from Costa Rican international Priscila Chinchilla and scored off her first touch. Tijuana immediately countered back, with Mayra Pelayo-Bernal scoring off a tap-in, with an assist from Daniela Espinosa.
World Cup-winning forward Jenni Hermoso found the back of the net to re-take the lead at home, with a shot at a tough angle. Hermoso kept herself onside and was flanked in between two defenders.
Melissa Herrera, once again, tied it up for Tijuana. The Costa Rican sprinted into an open box while Espinosa out-ran her defender and barely got the cross off to Herrera, avoiding the goalkeeper by just inches.
It was Sanjuana Muñoz, though, who played the hero for Tijuana. In the 56th minute, Muñoz scored one of the most chaotic goals of the season — and one that Pachuca will scratch their heads over during film replay. Surrounded by five defenders, feet got tangled and Muñoz took a shot through the traffic and put it in the net.
The win gives Tijuana a total of 28 points, so far. With eight teams making the Liguilla, the goal is to earn one of the top four spots. For the past several years, they’ve been held by Tigres, América, Chivas and Monterrey. However, Rayadas only leads Tijuana by one point — and the two sides drew 1-1 in Week 9. For the first time in a while, we could see Tijuana jump up to the “top half” of the table this Liguilla.
Other Apertura Week 14 Scores
- FC Juárez 3-0 Puebla
- Mazatlán 2-2 Santos Laguna
- Club América 5-0 Necaxa
- Querétaro 3-2 UNAM Pumas*
- Toluca 2-1 Atlas
- Atlético San Luis 1-2 C.F. Monterrey
- Chivas de Guadalajara 2-0 Club León
- UANL Tigres 1-0 Cruz Azul
*NOTE: The road just got harder for UNAM Pumas, who fell on the road to Querétaro. Both sides are still in fighting spots for the playoffs, as shown below on the table. Both teams have the same toughness on their schedule, playing teams above and below them down the stretch. Querétaro, or even FC Juárez, could sneak in for a playoff spot.
Liga MX Femenil Apertura 2023 Table | Week 14
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UANL Tigres | 12 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 39 | 38 |
| Club América | 12 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 35 | 36 |
| Chivas de Guadalajara | 10 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 25 | 33 |
| C.F. Monterrey | 8 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 23 | 29 |
| Club Tijuana | 8 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 10 | 28 |
| Pachuca | 7 | 2 | 5 | 26 | 12 | 23 |
| Toluca | 6 | 3 | 5 | 26 | -3 | 21 |
| Club León | 7 | 0 | 7 | 26 | -9 | 21 |
| UNAM Pumas | 6 | 2 | 6 | 23 | 8 | 20 |
| FC Juárez | 5 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 2 | 20 |
| Querétaro | 6 | 1 | 7 | 23 | 0 | 19 |
| Cruz Azul | 6 | 1 | 7 | 23 | -7 | 19 |
| AtlasFC Juárez | 4 | 2 | 8 | 29 | -12 | 14 |
| Atlético San Luis | 3 | 3 | 8 | 28 | -12 | 12 |
| Puebla | 3 | 2 | 9 | 30 | -17 | 11 |
| Necaxa | 2 | 2 | 10 | 37 | -29 | 8 |
| Santos Laguna | 0 | 4 | 10 | 39 | -29 | 4 |
| Mazatlán | 0 | 1 | 13 | 44 | -36 | 1 |
Looking Ahead: Apertura 2023 | Week 15
*All Times in Eastern Time.
Sunday, Oct. 15: Puebla vs. Club América at 2 PM
Sunday, Oct. 15: Cruz Azul vs. Club Tijuana at 2 PM
Sunday, Oct. 15: Necaxa vs. Atlas at 7 PM
Sunday, Oct. 15: Atlético San Luis vs. UANL Tigres at 7 PM
Sunday, Oct. 15: Chivas de Guadalajara vs. UNAM Pumas at 8:06 PM
Monday, Oct. 16: Querétaro vs. Pachuca at 7:06 PM
Monday, Oct. 16: C.F. Monterrey vs. Mazatlán at 9 PM
Monday, Oct. 16: Club León vs. Toluca at 9:06 PM
Monday, Oct. 16: Santos Laguna vs. FC Juárez at 11:10 PM
