by Excerpted from Eugene’s Golazo Del Gringo Substack. If you enjoyed this, please consider subscribing.
Game of the Week
FC Juárez 3, Tigres UANL 1
Watching the Toluca-Atlas game I thought there was no way there’d be another game as riveting this week. I was wrong.
The Juárez-Tigres game was like watching two prizefighters go the distance. Neither side backed down, and the crowd of just over 4,000 at Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez was electric. Jasmine Casarez put Juárez up on top in the ninth minute by knocking in a loose cross into the box from Jermaine Seoposenwe. Juárez kept coming at Tigres, but Tigres steadied themselves and eventually turned the tide back in their favor. Mia Fishel headed a free kick off of the post in the 44th minute, and Maricarmen Reyes was there to put the rebound away to have the sides go into the locker rooms equal.
In the second half, Tigres kept the pressure on early but Juárez hit a deft counterattack in the 61st minute, when Jermaine Seoposenwe got a great ball over the top and smashed a shot on goal. Ceci Santiago made a great save, but the rebound went to Myra Delgadillo, and she buried it to give Juárez the lead. Then just two minutes later Casarez hit a great pass from the left flank that Seoposenwe went up and headed in to double the lead. Tigres pressed for a goal, but Las Bravalacticas held on to hand Tigres their first loss since October 17, 2022 when they lost to León.
Other scores:
Necaxa 0, Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 1
Necaxa’s woes continue as they lose 1-0 to Querétaro in Aguascalientes. Deisy Ojeda’s first goal in Liga MX Femenil in the eighth minute was the difference maker, getting her head onto a corner kick from Lía Moran. Both Valeria Martínez and Marta Alemany had good games in goal, facing eight and seven shots respectively.
Santos Laguna 1, América 1
While Santos played well, they can count themselves a little lucky to get the draw against América. América had a goal in the second minute called offside, and in stoppage time of the first half conceded a penalty that was perhaps a bit generous to the hosts. Alexia Villanueva converted it, and Santos went into the locker room with an unexpected lead. It then looked like Santos were going to be able to hang on thanks to several good saves from goalkeeper Pao Calderón, but Karen Luna was the hero for América, heading in a corner kick in the 81st minute.
Toluca 3, Atlas 4
This was a fun game to watch. Zellyka Arce put Atlas up early when she converted a penalty in the tenth minute. Destinney Duron equalized in the 17th, picking up a pass from Diana Guatemala and knocking it past Ana Gaby Paz. Atlas re-took the lead in the 31st on a fantastic touch by Valeria Razo on a free kick. In the 48th minute, a bad giveaway by Toluca allowed Alejandra Franco to get a shot from close range that slipped through goalkeeper Kayla Thompson’s fingers. A minute later Carolina Venegas got the ball at the top of the box, made a spin move to evade the defender, and shot one past Thompson to make it 4-1, and one could have been forgiven for thinking the game was done.
Destinney Duron had other ideas though. In the 65th, she got her head onto a free kick to cut the lead to two. Duron then had a goal called off in the 73rd minute for an offside that had happened almost a full minute before but the referee never saw the AR wave it (correctly) offside. It didn’t matter, as Duron was able to get her hat trick in the 76th on a corner kick that couldn’t get cleared fast enough. Toluca ratcheted up the pressure, forcing Ana Gaby Paz to make several big saves in stoppage time. In the end Atlas was able to hang on and get the road win.
Cruz Azul 0, Rayadas de Monterrey 3
Cruz Azul’s solid season hit a significant obstacle, as Rayadas get a 3-0 win at La Noria. Rayadas took the lead in the sixth minute when Cruz Azul attempted to play it out of the back, but instead turned it over to Monterrey. Christina Burkenroad got off a shot that Gaby Machuca stopped, but the rebound went to Diana Evangelista, who knocked it into the back of the net. Rayadas had a second in the ninth minute but it was called offside. Burkenroad got her fifth goal of the season in the 25th minute, getting a redirection on a cross into the box by Fatima Servin. Another goal in the 31st was called back because of offside, as was one in the 86th minute. While the game was already decided, Rayadas tacked on one more in the sixth minute of stoppage when Yamile Franco hit one in off of the far post from the top of the box.
Guadalajara 2, Puebla F.C. 1
A win is a win, but Chivas would probably liked to have won more comfortably against Puebla. Puebla took the lead in the seventh minute when Fátima Bracamonte converted a penalty. Karla Morales made a couple of great saves to keep her team in the lead going into the second half, but Chivas equalized shortly after the start of the second half. Kin Guzmán was left alone on the far post on a corner kick and headed it in off of the turf to equalize in the 49th minute. Morales made another great save in the 56th minute, but had a header from Gabi Valenzuela go through her hands in the 59th to give Chivas the lead, one they wouldn’t surrender.
Club Atlético de San Luis 4, Mazatlán FC 1
A solid win by San Luis, downing Mazatlán 4-1. Estefania Izaguirre hit a blast from distance in the 35th minute, and Bea Parra doubled it in the 42nd minute, staying just onside to get a pass in the area and slotting it past Fer Tarango. In the 47th minute Marta Perarnau hit a beautiful cross over to Itzia Tenahua, who easily knocked it in for the game’s third goal. Joana Robles erased further doubt around who would take all three points in the match when she hit an indirect free kick up and over the wall and into the back of the net. Anahí Rentería got a consolation goal for Mazatlán in the 86th, but it was far too little, far too late.
León 0, Pachuca 3
Pachuca continues their quest for their first title, downing León 3-0 at Nou Camp. Charlyn Corral got her ninth goal of the season in the 38th minute, cutting around the defense and hitting a left-footed shot past Ángeles Martínez. Jenni Hermoso got on the scoresheet in the 66th minute, knocking in a loose ball from close range and then doubled her total in the 85th, heading in a great ball over the top from Karla Nieto for her seventh goal of the season.
UNAM Pumas 0, Club Tijuana 1
Another poor result for Pumas, losing 1-0 to Tijuana at CU. Dani Espinosa got the game’s only goal in the 43rd minute on a belter from about 30 yards out. Pumas had several chances, but couldn’t find a way to get past Siena Ruelas, who picked up her first clean sheet in her first appearance of 2023.
