The Liguilla is always bittersweet. Eight teams who are there on merit get to slug it out, halving themselves until just one team remains after three rounds. This Liguilla started off with one of the best games I’ve seen in a while, and unfortunately ended with one of the most controversial and consequential ones I’ve seen in a while too.
Pachuca blows by Chivas
This was perhaps the best of the series across 180 minutes since it wound up being the closest. Pachuca and Chivas played an absolute match for the ages in the first leg, with the teams going toe-to-toe like two heavyweights under the lights at Caesars. Damaris Godínez got the Liguilla started off with a goal off of a corner kick in the very first minute of play, and Gabi Valenzuela doubled it in the fifth minute when she got past the defense and hit a shot past Esthefanny Barreras. But Pachuca was level by the end of the first half, thanks to an Alice Soto golazo in the 19th minute and Jenni Hermoso’ converting a penalty in the 42nd. All throughout the entire game, both teams peppered one another’s goalkeepers (and woodwork) with shots of all kinds. The best one though was Hermoso’s backheel redirection in the first minute of stoppage time, popping it through the legs of Caro Jaramillo and past Blanca Félix to give Pachuca the lead. But there was still time to be played, and Jaramillo was Chivas’ hero on the evening, knocking in a great pass from Rubí Soto to send the series back to Guadalajara even at 3-3.
The second leg was much more restrained, especially early on when neither team wanted to make the first mistake to give their opponent the advantage. But no one can stay perfect forever, and despite all of the brilliant saves she made during this series, Blanca Félix mis-played a back pass from Diana Rodríguez in the 42nd minute and it rolled into the back of the net for an own goal. Pachuca had the heading into the half, but Chivas equalized in the 49th minute on a Joseline Montoya goal where she caught Esthefanny Barreras out a bit too far off of her line. But it wouldn’t be long until Pachuca got another, this time with Jenni Hermoso getting to a rebound of her own shot, knocking it in, and then putting on a luchador mask to celebrate. Two minutes later, two of Pachuca’s longest-serving players added the insurance goal as Viridiana Salazar headed in a nice cross from Mónica Ocampo to put Pachuca up 6-4 on the aggregate, where it would end.
Final thoughts: A great series, and one that would have made an awesome Final. Some hard questions are being asked about Chivas which is fair, but I wouldn’t do anything rash if I’m them. The core of players they have is really good, and Celeste Espino should be back at some point next season to help create healthy competition in goal.
Pachuca really looks like that team right now. To go to the Akron and beat Chivas 3-1 is one thing, but they really outplayed them in large stretches of these games. Jenni Hermoso is doing exactly what she was brought in to do: getting this team over the hump when it matters most. That said, it was so cool seeing Viri Salazar and Mónica Ocampo get that final goal, considering some of the lean years they’ve been through with Tuzos.
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Tigres dismantle Atlas
This one was over not long after it started. Atlas opened the series by announcing Carolina Venegas had a second degree sprain of her MCL and would miss the entirety of the Liguilla, and it somehow got worse from there for them. Belén Cruz scored in the second minute of play, blowing past Atlas’ defense and rocketing one into the back of the net. Then Jackie Ovalle took over, getting a brace before halftime. In the 16th minute “La Maga” created some magic, hitting a shot from a tough angle in off of the underside of the crossbar. Then in the 37th minute she got the edge on her defender and knocked it past former teammate Vania Villalobos. Initially ruled offside, VAR confirmed it was a good goal, marking the first time this season that VAR influenced a goal. La Maga however still had tricks up her sleeve, and after the half she added one more, getting on a pass from Stephany Mayor, drawing Villalobos way off her line, and slotting one home for her first hat-trick and the first hat-trick in a Liguilla game in Tigres history. Maricarmen Reyes added one more in the 89th minute on a shot from distance, sending this series back to Nuevo León with the reigning champions up 5-0.
The second leg was far more subdued, with Atlas looking to put forth a good showing despite the grim outlook. Tigres threw everything at them, but the defense looked much more solid than in the first match, keeping the match scoreless deep into the second half. But Tigres is who they are, and in the 83rd minute Liliana Mercado teed up a free kick golazo to open the scoring once more. Finally as an exclamation point on the series for Tigres, Stephany Mayor and Mia Fishel combined for a double-header to finish the series at 7-0 for Las Amazonas.
Final thoughts: Losing Venegas hurt Atlas, but the difference in quality between the two sides was on display throughout. While the defense was having a lot of difficulty with Tigres’ forwards, the most concerning thing for me was the midfield, which unable to get anything going forward and left the defense hung out to dry often. Atlas’ forwards were invisible, but it’s mostly because they almost never got the ball in any position of danger. The good news for Atlas though is that they proved they could compete in fits and starts. Losing 2-0 at El Volcán isn’t the worst thing in the world. If they can work out some of the problem areas and get players back healthy, they could be a surprise next season.
Tigres meanwhile are peaking at the right time. Much was made of what was a down season for the team, and rightfully so, but their struggles would be most other clubs’ dream season. This team is doing all of the little things right, and they are playing with confidence. They’re still the reigning champions, and they’re more than happy to remind anyone why.
América thrashes Juárez
Good times can’t last forever, and Las Bravalácticas ran into a buzzsaw in the likes of Club América. Alison González put Las Águilas up in the eighth minute of play on a neat little flick on a corner kick, and América lead the rest of the way. They doubled the lead in the 39th on a Kiana Palacios shot from inside the box when Juárez couldn’t clear a corner kick out fast enough. Andrea Hernández drew one back in the 70th minute, knocking in her own rebound past Itzel González to bring the crowd in Juárez back to life. And Juárez tried reward the faith of the crowd with an equalizer but simply couldn’t. In stoppage time Juárez again had trouble clearing out a ball, getting it only as far as Jocelyn Orejel, who volleyed it into the back of the net to send the series back to CDMX with América up 3-1.
The second leg saw América turn it on, pulling out a 5-1 win. Kiana Palacios got the game’s first goal in the 31st minute on a long range shot that Natalia Acuña couldn’t stop. Alison González doubled the score just four minutes later on a tap in when Acuña couldn’t fully stop a shot from close range. Jasmine Casarez drew one back for Juárez in the second half, hitting one in the 49th minute that Itzel González couldn’t fully stop. But that was as close as it would get for Las Bravalácticas, with Alison González netting her 100th goal in the 69th minute with a free kick that Acuña just missed. Andrea Pereira added one more in the 87th, tapping in a rebound off of a free kick. Andrea Sanchez added one more in stoppage, hitting a chilena on a rebound from a shot that hit off of the crossbar to give América the 8-2 win on aggregate.
Final thoughts: If you had told me at the start of 2022 that Juárez would have the season they did in the 2023 Clausura, I’d have laughed at you. Surely, the team that finished the 2021 Apertura with just five points and a -30 goal differential wasn’t going to have a phenomenal season and make it to the Liguilla as a six seed. But here we are, and everyone with the organization should take pride in what they’ve built this season. The players, coaching staff, front office staff, and fans all should be looking to build on what looks to be a solid foundation for women’s soccer at the Borderlands.
Sometimes bad guys and girls don’t wear black, they wear cream and blue. Sports needs villains, and América seems fine with taking that mantle. They seemed to enjoy snuffing out Juárez’ Cinderella season, and that’s fun in its own right. Optics and vibes aside, Juárez is a quality side and Las Águilas downed them 8-2 and it could have been more. América is another team that is peaking at the right time, and they could go all the way in this tournament. If they do, I’d love to see them embrace the villain role even more.
Rayadas get controversial win over Tijuana
There’s a lot to unpack with this one. Xolos Femenil looked poised to pull off the upset in convincing fashion, and then it all came crashing down as Rayadas escape with a 6-3 aggregate win. Tijuana dominated the first match at home, looking more like the superlíder than the actual superlíder. Angelina Hix put the home side up in the 29th minute, getting onto a nice cross from Paola Villamizar that caught Alex Godínez going the wrong way. Tijuana had a goal chalked off in the 40th minute when an early whistle blew the play dead for an injured Rayadas player despite the ball being in play and the injury not being serious. It looked like another would be chalked off in the 43rd when Adyson Willett had a shot that Godínez made a save on, but VAR correctly ruled that the ball had crossed the goal line and the goal was granted. From there, Alejandra Gutiérrez made several good stops on Rayadas shots to keep the 2-0 lead going back to Monterrey.
The second leg started off with both sides getting some decent looks on goal, but both Alejandra Gutiérrez and Alex Godínez made good saves to keep their teams in it. In the 32nd minute, Mónica Alvarado got her head onto a free kick and caught Godínez going the wrong way, knocking it in to give Xolos Femenil the early lead. In the 38th minute however Alvarado was whistled for a foul on Christina Burkenroad just outside of the box. Referee Karen Hernández initially showed Alvarado a yellow card, but after a VAR review it was changed to red and Tijuana were down to ten players. That’s all that Monterrey needed, and Daniela Solís got the scoring started in the fourth minute of stoppage, knocking home a nice cross from Diana Evangelista. In the second half, the floodgates opened. Hernández awarded a penalty in the 68th minute and Rebeca Bernal converted the penalty in the 70th to pull Rayadas within one on the aggregate. In the 80th minute, Desirée Monsiváis got her first of the evening, heading in a brilliant cross from outside of the box, and then did it again in the 85th, pulling down a ball in the box and slamming it home. In the 90th minute, Solís got a goal of her own when Tijuana couldn’t clear the ball and she hit a golazo from the top of the box. Aylin Aviléz added one more in the second minute of stoppage on an odd-numbered rush to send Rayadas through 6-3 on the aggregate.
Final thoughts: Up until the red card, Tijuana was the better side and looked like they were going to go through. I didn’t see the Alvarado foul being a yellow, much less a red, and it’s always bad when a refereeing decision has such an impact on a series. Xolos Femenil really look like they have something good brewing there, and hopefully they continue to build on what’s there instead of letting one bad call define the future of the project.
Rayadas meanwhile did what they had to do in order to advance. They got past a real scare, which could help them if they find themselves behind in the next round. Getting Desirée Monsiváis back into the mix and on the scoresheet is just another example of just how stacked they are.
