Thursday night's matchup between the BYU and New Mexico womens' soccer teams got ugly, thanks mostly to Lobo soccer player Elizabeth Lambert. Lambert's actions were caught on camera several times, ranging from tripping an opponent to brutally yanking a BYU player to the ground by her pony tail. The national media has taken notice of the incident, and these highlights appeared on national sports analyst, Dan Patrick's Web site. (The highlight is about halfway down the page.)
Here's a press release found on the UNM Web site about last night's incident:
University of New Mexico head women's soccer coach Kit Vela announced today that junior defender Elizabeth Lambert has been suspended indefinitely for her actions in Thursday's match against BYU in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Championship in Provo, Utah. Effective immediately, Lambert is prohibited from participating in all team practices, competition and conditioning activities.
"I am deeply and wholeheartedly regretful for my actions," said Lambert. "My actions were uncalled for. I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation. I take full responsibility for my actions and accept any punishment felt necessary from the coaching staff and UNM administration. This is in no way indicative of my character or the soccer player that I am. I am sorry to my coaches and teammates for any and all damages I have brought upon them. I am especially sorry to BYU and the BYU women's soccer players that were personally affected by my actions. I have the utmost respect for the BYU women's soccer program and its players."
"Liz is a quality student-athlete, but in this instance her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship," said Vela.
"Liz's conduct on the field against BYU was completely inappropriate," said UNM Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs. "There is no way to defend her actions."
A Mountain West Conference representative said the conference is looking into the game, as they do all sportsmanship related incidents, and no official comment will be released until the investigation is complete.
Update: The MWC has issued the following statement in regards to the situation:
Nov. 6, 2009
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -
In consultation with the University of New Mexico, the Mountain West Conference endorses the disciplinary actions being taken by the institution to address the unacceptable conduct of the UNM student-athlete involved -- which violated the MWC Sportsmanship Policy.
The MWC commends the University of New Mexico for its prompt response. The decisive manner in which it was handled is consistent with the MWC Sportsmanship Policy and the principles under which the Conference conducts intercollegiate athletics.
The MWC will continue its internal review of the overall dynamic involved in the match. The Conference will have no further comment regarding this case. The provisions of the MWC Sportsmanship Policy can be found in Rule 4 of the MWC Handbook – which can be accessed via the www.TheMWC.com Web site.
Feeds 
Where were the officials when Elizabeth Lambert committed all her outlandish fouls? Pretty pathetic at observing if you ask me!
I would like to hear from the ref's of this game to hear their comments. In a few of the foul clips I can see the players looking downfield, and I am guessing that they are doing these things when the center ref is NOT looking. But the fouls taking place when both players are "on the ball",,, seem quite worthy of a whistle and a card. The header situation where she comes down with a forearm to the attacker's head is quite obvious and is definitely a Card situation. Also the tackles with both legs AND cleats up again I would think deserve a whistle and a card.
I would like to hear or read the referee's summary of this game.
So Elizabeth Lambert get indefinitely suspended......but LeGarrette Blount of the UofO Ducks men's football team (I know, different sports, but still, same principles) gets suspended (originally for the rest of the '09 season), and then reinstated??? I'd say HIS actions were WAY more uncalled for. I mean she was playing hard and dirty soccer, but Blount was simply lashing out at Brian Hout, and even towards FANS as he was leaving the field!
There is no “I” in “Team”, every one works together to win and shares the blame when they lose. Miss Lambert’s teammate’s should also partially share the blame in this incident along with the UNM coaches. Where’s the team captain’s leadership questioned in all this? Where were her teammates to offer a quick word to help settle Miss Lambert’s emotions, which she said got the best of her. The all soccer teams practices hours and hours together and everyone gets to know what everyone’s personalities are like on and off the field. They know what will make their teammates laugh and what will tick them off. They must have known that Miss Lambert could turn from aggressive to volatile since she’s a junior and not a freshman and they could have steered her clear of the latter. BYU players equally could have kept a healthy distance rather than nudging and grabbing which only served to provoke. From the expressions on the BYU players faces they looked like they could have been trying to provoke Miss Lambert. Coaches and players alike on both teams are to blame for the escalation of events. The bottom line is that coaches should ultimately be responsible for the players actions while on the field. Coaches MUST set the tone for the team.
I'd like to see a discussion about why BYU is even involved in competitive sports. My understanding is "pride" is essentially competitive in nature and something to overcome. "The world" teaches success comes at the expense of others (competition), the Gospel teaches we lift ourselves by lifting others. Where do we see the most unchristian side of ourselves? Often its in competitive sports-both as fans and athletes. Just look at the exchanges between BYU and Utah fans.
BYU Player 1 elbows Liz - she punches back.
BYU Player 2 grabs Liz - she grabs her back.
The other shots of her taking the ball away are fair - she was playing the ball (very well!).
Leave Liz alone, or suspend the other team too.
1. Lambert knees BYU player in back of leg - BYU jabs w/ elbow -- Lambert pulls back and w/ closed fist punches her in the back.
2. Lambert viciously tackles BYU player from behind w/ high cleats and goes for her knees w/ no intention or chance of getting the ball.
3. Lambert swings with both hands and hits BYU player in the head multiple times (on far side of field)
4. Lambert ALREADY is grabbing BYU player's hair BEFORE the shorts tug - Lambert then violently pulls her down by her ponytail.
Take a long look at the video. Use the pause function. Look at the game video not the excerpts of the game. Lambert instigates ALL of this!
Lambert = Vicious, Violent Thug!
she didn't always play the ball i saw a good shot where she clearly missed the ball tangled up between the opposing players legs. It was clear she didnt get the ball and wasn't really going for the ball
Someday during a game, a much larger and meaner player is going to beat you senseless for the way you act on field and your lame, forced apology. And we will be cheering all along. You should be kicked off the team and forced to see a psych. I bet your parents are very proud of you.
Thanks to all the ladies who made that game fun to watch. A couple of NM overreactions. No bench clearing, no hard feelings, just a good game to watch. Thanks for playing hard Cougs and keeping it under control and to NM for competing.
Perhaps the MWC could comment about the quality of the officiating at the game. It seems to me that one of the purposes of the rules and referees is to protect the players against injury. From the video I saw, there could very well have been serious injury from the unchecked aggression of Elizabeth Lambert.
I agree the referee/center was completely inept and should be relieved of any further high level games until he can discern serious play fouls and issue appropriate punishment
Also the question must be asked where was UNM coach during her outbursts. Coaches usually watch play around the ball and on three different occasions she had reason to remove her from the pitch and did not. UNM might want to look at the coaches lack of focus and lack of action against Ms Lambert's serious foul play. No excuse for what Vela didn't do either. Bad all around and potentially very dangerous for all concerned.
I was completely appalled at the behavoir exhibited at the women's soccer game against the University of New Mexico. I have three boys who play at the high school level and over the past three to four years the game of soccer has changed. Several local schools have filled complaints against the behavior on the soccer field. The refs, who should be controlling the game seem to have forgotten what the sport is all about. I hope that this incident will open the eyes of the refs to investigate at all levels the kind of behavoir that they are allowing to happen on the soccer field. The game only gets as rough as the refs let it.
Question--what game was the ref watching? Yes, Lambert absolutely should be held accountable, as it appears to be the case, but isn't the ref culpable as well for allowing such behavior on the field? The incident is such a black eye for all levels of women's soccer.
A sad day for soccer!
I ask the same question re the referee crew. I've worked many games adult and younger. This appears to definitely be one of the more physical games I've watched, although i've only seen Ms Lambert's fouls being replayed. I find it hard to see how some of her fouls went without earlier cards. The forearm to the head during a header pass situation is even more serious than the ponytail pull in my opinion. Also the tackles with legs AND cleats up were serious fouls.
What game were the referee's watching?,, I would like to hear some kind of response from the ref's of this game.
I want to commend the BYU Women's soccer team. When I saw a highlight mentioning a 'cat fight' I was expecting a two-sided fight. However, I was grateful to not see any clips of retaliation on the part of our Ladies.
Thank you for upholding the pride of BYU and what it stands for.
Of course you didn't see any "retaliation on the part of our Ladies." It was "our Ladies" who committed the cheap fouls for which the New Mexico player retaliated. "Our Ladies" understood tha Joe Pimentel and the rest of the referee crew do not see fouls and they played accordingly. To argue that "our Ladies" are not culpable is disingenuous. If "our Ladies" had any class they would accept the apology of the New Mexico player and then come to her defense against the national disproportionate ridicule being heaped on her.
You don't know what cheap foul lambert committed prior to "our ladies" committing their "cheap foul" besides I don't care how many minor cheap fouls that were committed by "our ladies" it doesn't justify Lambert nearly breaking Cassidy's neck. Lambert needs psychiatric counseling. Cheap fouls are committed every day in the sport of soccer without Lambert's type of reaction. Hundreds of thousands of players keep their heads about them in this sport while being fouled in this manner but not Elizabeth Lambert nor Zinedine Zidane. They are the worst examples in this sport! I'm proud of "our ladies" in how they played the game and how they conducted themselves. Go Cougs!!
Lambert was the one who initially tripped the BYU player that later got kicked in the head with the ball by Lobo midfielder Rachel Fields -- either intentionally or unintentionally -- while trying to clear the ball.
Lambert got yellow-carded for the trip.
She performed some brutal acts, but lets be clear about what she actually did.
In soccer people get hit by the ball- simple as that. The defender clearing the ball was doing her job, it wasn't her fault another players head was in the way. The foul was the trip, not the ball to the head.
Midfielder Rachel Fields was not the player that was trying to clear the ball that hit the BYU player in the head. The way the video appears it looks like she was being reprimanded by the ref when in all actuality she was the one trying to calm her teammate down after her teammate had received a yellow card. The defender in the back was clearing the ball, in no way was it an intentional ball or kick to the head.
People are just reacting and not really putting correct information on this and other sites.
Please do not put false information when you post your opinion. The ball that was unintentionally kicked into the head of the BYU player, as the UNM player was trying to clear it, was kicked by a defender, not midfielder Rachel Fields. Please do not put a player's name on here and accuse them of something that they didn't even do. That is how false information is spread. Please get your facts right before you post.