Santa Fe Women and Fortaleza played out a nine-goal draw in the Women's League, Regular Season round 16 on Wednesday evening. The 4:4 result leaves both sides with a point each after a match that swung between momentum and uncertainty. And here's the thing about these encounters — the scoreline rarely tells you which side deserved more.
M. Cabrera opened the scoring for the hosts in the first minute, and Fortaleza responded through K. Puertas fourteen minutes later. M. Baldallo restored Santa Fe's lead before half-time, making it 2:1 at the break. The home side looked comfortable, but the second half had other ideas.
Four substitutions came together at the interval, including S. Posada, A. Diaz, F. Graterol and A. Arcila for the visitors. Y. Viso equalised in the fifty-first minute, and J. Ortegon put Fortaleza ahead just sixty seconds later. To be fair, the momentum had shifted noticeably.
D. Santana levelled for Fortaleza in the sixtieth minute, and the match opened up further. R. Torres pulled one back for Santa Fe in the seventy-fifth minute, but S. Valencia then turned the game with an own goal in the eighty-ninth minute. Fortaleza held on for a dramatic finish.
Discipline was patchy throughout. Five yellow cards went to Fortaleza players, while L. Aroca and J. Ortegon each received cautions in the closing stages of the first half. Ortegon came off for D. Perdomo in the sixty-third minute, and later I. de la Cruz replaced him as well.
The result does little to separate the sides in the table, but it extends a pattern of late drama for both teams. Santa Fe had lost their previous two league matches before this point, while Fortaleza showed resilience after their opening setback against La Equidad.