Rayadas clinch first ticket in Liga MX Femenil Liguilla

MIAMI, Florida – The women’s leagues across Concacaf are facing crucial times, with teams getting a ticket to the next round, or trying to best position themselves in the table, or just attempting to get as many points as possible.

Week two in the NWSL was proof of how far the teams want to go in the competition. New records are being broken game after game and this season promises to be one of the best.

Fans got an early rematch of last season’s Finals when the Portland Thorns visited the Kansas City Current on Saturday, as the current champions Thorns downed the hosts 4-1. The star of the match was the incredible Sophia Smith, who scored a hat-trick, along with last year’s hero, Crystal Dunn, who opened up the scoring for Portland in the 3’ after getting the ball from a corner kick and shooting just past the head of Kansas City GK Adrianna Franch.

The first goal from Smith came from a penalty kick in the 18’. In the 58’, the Current got a goal back thanks to Cece Kizer, who gathered in the ball after a free kick, sending it to the back of the net.

Smith’s second and third goals would come in the final minutes of the game, beginning in the 83’, after getting past the defensive line of Kansas City with a great individual play. She would then close the game in the 88’ after dribbling the ball and shooting from just outside the area.

Another visiting side that emerged victorious was the Houston Dash, who defeated the Chicago Red Stars 2-1 on Saturday afternoon. Just four minutes in, the Dash took the lead after Maria Sanchez received a pass in the area and scored.

Unfortunately for Houston, an own goal by Natalie Jacobs in the 19’ evened things up in the Windy City. It wasn’t until the 60’ when Diana Ordonez, one of the best rookies from last season, got fouled in the area and converted the winning goal from the penalty spot.

It gave the Dash their first victory of the 2023 NWSL regular season. It was not only the first Dash win of 2023, but it was also the first time in NWSL history that two Mexican teammates scored in the same game.

The Liga MX Femenil has reached the part of the season in which teams are starting to qualify for La Liguilla and after the weekend, there are now only seven spots left.

Leaders since week one, Rayadas of Monterrey are the first ones to get to the Liguilla after a 2-2 tie against Pumas on Saturday afternoon. It took 25 seconds for Diana Evangelista to open up the scoring, but in the 31’, Pumas equalized via a penalty kick converted by Marylin Diaz.

Chinwendu Ihezuo regained the lead for Monterrey in the 46’, however, in the 50’, Anahi Gomez found the net inside the area, scoring the last goal of the match.

All the other teams are fighting to get the remaining tickets for the Liguilla, and Tijuana took a big step forward on Monday evening after coming back to defeat Club Santos 2-1. The visitors took the lead in the 39’ thanks to a goal from outside the area from Sofia Varela, but Xolas kept on fighting, finding their first goal in the 71’ from the boots of Daniela Espinosa. Just ten minutes later, in the 81’, captain Renae Cuellar gave her team the win with a strike.

The second round of the Apertura 2023 in Costa Rica continued, and after their first win of the season, COFUTPA suffered a 4-1 defeat to Municipal Pococi on Saturday evening. Mailyn Grajal was the player of the match, opening the scoring in the 11’ and adding scores in the 40’ and 62’.

However, in the 49’, Britanny Vasquez of COFUTPA scored one goal that closed the gap between the hosts and the visitors. It was not enough, as in the 85’, Claudia Nunez scored the fourth and final goal for Municipal Pococi, who now sit in fourth position.

Saprissa FF is giving everything on the pitch to hold onto first place in the table and their latest display was on Thursday evening against Dimas Escazu, winning 3-0.

Monica Matarrita scored the first one for Las Moradas in the 40’, doing so again in the 46’. In the last minute of the game, in the 90’, Mariela Campos found the back of the net, wrapping up the final scoreline.