This woman should be ban forever to play, if I had been one of the girls that she abused I would have stumped on her face at least push her nouse in with the heel of my hand. She is nothin but a bully that got away with that behavior too long and the referees or coaches where. where they they also should be charged for allowing this bitch to get away with that.

If I’m not mistaken Elizabeth Lamberts is not only a Student-Athlete but also a MWC all academic conference athlete that means the lady has a some type of brain and any hypocrite trying to parade as a former or current student athlete on this forum knows very well THAT’S A VERY HARD THING TO DO to continue to get excellent grades and remain an active player, THAT’S TOUGH. You don’t believe me? Ask Michael Jordan about his degree in Geography (US Geography mind you).
So all this non-sense about the player and the coach is nothing but garbage the blame rest solely on the referee nothing prevented him from issuing a red card anytime or at least a yellow card followed by another yellow (instant red card) particularly when the other team was the almighty BYU who according to MWC officials should be treated with silk gloves (God forbids they don’t make it to the NCAA tourney)
The ref blew it don’t blame the player make that THE KEY PLAYER who was all over the area trying to control the skillful cougar team all by herself and taking all those taunts and verbal abuse the cougars are known for. Anybody who doesn’t know anything about the MWC (the Utes and the Cougars hate each other practically to death) shouldn’t even opine because according to MWC history it all always goes back to the cougars being the aggressors and as you can see (if you know anything about the game) even the tainted video manipulated by ESPN shows that Elizabeth was merely reacting to the actions of the BYU players.
Did Elizabeth go too far? She has acknowledged that much herself. What do you want besides blood you idiots? If you have to blame someone blame the refs, they are good for nothing.

What a thug. That kind of behavior should not be tolerated no matter what the sport. If she wants to act like that she should go into the UFC. She should be out and the coach reprimanded because she obviously condones Lambert’s style of play.

“True Soccer Fan” you almost made a good point by stating that lack of control by the officials. That particular crew should be excused from any further action in the tourney.

But your antipathy for BYU and your rationalizing Lamert’s thuggery, show that you condone her behavior. While I do not think she should be suspended from school, it would not be unjustified for her to be suspended from the team for the remainder of the season.

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Elizabeth Lambert is a thug who obviously has no control over her feelings. She ASSAULTED the other young lady and criminal charges should be filed against her. Also, why is she still enrolled at this school? Her actions warrant expulsion, nothing less. Her parents clearly did a poor job raising this (marginal) person. Send her back to them and keep her away from the soccer field. She should thank her lucky stars that this was not my child that she assaulted.

As far as I am concerned the other team (BYU) started the whole thing. If you look closely you will see Elizabeth getting elbowed before she punched that player who then fell as if she didn’t do anything. If I was ever going to pick a woman player to play with men, Elizabeth Lambert would be that player. The only thing she did wrong is that she did not lift up the other players and acted as if she was sorry :-) As for the refs, they saw the game like everyone else and knew that this was just hard soccer. That is why it is a beautiful game. I condone her actions as i am sure anyone who plays in a defensive role will know, let the opponent fear you as this is your area and you will take no prisoners. Go Elizabeth Lambert. You have my vote anyday.

I think there’s a definite future for Elizabeth in either Roller Derby or Pro Wrestling. I would love to see her go head-to-head with Tanya Harding. They deserve each other.

I agree with Ruffneck. BYU was not innocent. Elizabeth Lambert is a very aggressive soccer player — this is not a bad quality. Maybe she went a little overboard but the officials didn’t stop her. So, maybe not. She played in a manner that the game required and should not be punished for that.

As for criminal charges — that is the most absurd thing that I have ever heard. (with the possible exception of expulsion from the university) It is a game and as anyone that has ever played will tell you, soccer is most definately a full-contact sport.

Lambert did not intentionally kick the ball into the BYU player’s face; as a defender, you are supposed to clear the ball out of your teams “danger zone” (i.e. the box). The ponytail slam was indeed a red card offense, but a criminal act? Give me a break. Contrary to popular belief, soccer is a PHYSICAL game. Do not demonize this young woman anymore. The game had championship implications and, any athlete knows, adrenaline gets the best of us sometimes.

This individual needs to become a member of…

www.IMsorry.com

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Obviously she should not have done this and hopefully the ref could have stopped it earlier but take another look at the video and you will see her getting elbowed in the gut and just before she pulled the other girl down by the hair, the other girl has grabbed and has her shorts wrapped up in her hand. She didn’t want to take it anymore and pulled her down by the hair.

Was she provoked? Yes. Did Lambert start it? Can’t tell. Doesn’t matter.

Because what I do see from Lambert is ESCALATION. At every incitment she doesn’t just respond in kind, she takes it up a notch or two.

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Ms. Lambert’s acts are simply not justified, regardless of the level of BYU provocation. Her apology, like the quote from her coach, indicates an inability to comprehend the serious nature of her actions. Someone capable of that violence needs professional counseling before being allowed on the field again. UNM needs to discipline the coach, and soon, if it is to undo the terrible blight this incident is leaving on the world about the university and its’ athletes. Already, mainstream media attention is shifting from Ms. Lambert to the absence of outrage on the part of school officials, from the coach to the Board. Editorial room discussions are noting ONLY students at UNM have voiced the level of personal shock expected by the public, and merited by the incident.

brad, muggers pick their targets from unwilling participants who have not generally provoked them into mugging them. your analogy is stupid. elizabeth lambert does not deserve any of this international attention. the video was designed to create a media storm. job well done.

Dear “Soccer Fan”,
You wrote “She played in a manner that the game required and should not be punished for that.” I don’t know what planet you live on, but here on planet Earth I think the overwhelming majority of folks would not characterize Elizabeth Lambert’s manner of play as something “required” of the game.

11/10/09

Ms. Lambert is a BULLY. She’s probably been behaving this way twds. others and on the field since a little girl and was never stopped. The ASSAULT is a criminal assault and the player’s she so brutally attacked should file charges. Lambert needs to be kicked off the team. The ASSAULTS looked like she even had time to think about what she was doing and even appeared to feel empowered by her ugly actions. She looked quite practiced in her abusive hits and moves. If she had attacked my child—I would sue her and the school. A BULLY. FILE CHARGES. KICK HER OFF THE TEAM FOR GOOD. Wake up, UNM—you’ve had alot of Athletic Assaults lately. Why is this VIOLENCE being condoned? UNM tends to move their abusers from Dept. to Dept.

i loved it…it made womens soccer more entertaining…beat a bitch down! ahahahahhahahhaha whoop that trick! I wanna marry that sexy ass elizabeth lambert.

It’s call “combat soccer” around here. We see it alot and it is getting worse as girls push for playing time and the chance of college. It is inexcusable at all levels, playing, coaching and reffing. This kind of play is not new to Ms. Lambert nor her team. They have been playing this way since the 9th grade. Shame on the coaching staff that permits this.

MS lamberts behavior was in appropriate and she did have or should have has the most responsibility for her actions….but her coach and the referee and his/her assistants had responsibility as well. For the most part I agree with A True Soccer Fan……

My daughter was a D1 soccer goal keeper and I can attest to how very physical the game has become at the highest levels. I am in favor of agressive play…….it’s the way the “beautiful game” is meant to be played………i am opposed to “dirty” play………and in my opinion some of each existed in the BYU vs NM game. Heck……even the blonde BYU player explaining the score to Ms Lambert could have been yellow carded for her behavior.

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Anyone who has played soccer or any sport knows that there will always be alot of subtle elbows thrown here and there. The “reactions” that Elizabeth Lambert gave were cheap and uncalled for. This is not the example of a great soccer player, she let her emotions get the better of her and took her head out of the game! But all in all, I can’t help but think that she is a scapegoat here. For a coach who was feeling the heat for not doing more. (seriously, this is the first time she has thrown a punch? We have all heard the coaches that will condone this behavior, by laughing, or congratulating players on their “good tough play”.) For a team of referees who looked the other way. (I actually had a soccer referee(male) tell me that referees love to see women soccer teams get “scrappy” and will hesitate to blow their whistles until the crowd becomes vocal)So now a young girls soccer career is ruined! Where were her mentors? parents? coaches? teammates?

Dear James,

Lambert does deserve this kind of international attention. I’ve watched many soccer games over the years and never have I seen such violence by one player in one game! Her actions and reactions were totally inexcusable. The coaches for UNM and the refs were also partly to blame. Nevertheless, this woman needs to grow up. If you don’t want international attention, stop acting in extreme ways and be a fair athlete.

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For all those that think Elizabeth play was ok you just love to see a fight ( watch boxing or UFC ) If you have followed even some of the best women athletes in this wonderful sport agree that she crossed the line not just a little but by a million miles or so. Yes soccer is a physical sport and the occasional elbow or tug on the jersey happens on both sides this is expected but what Ms. Lambert did was over the top play the sport with integrety and sportsmanship.

Only one point— some of the commenters seem to think there is some sort of a “magical exception” to the criminal laws of a state, for actions on an athletic field. As a long-experienced lawyer with background in criminal law, I can tell you that you are just completely, dead, wrong. There is not. The fact that all the players are voluntarily involved in tough play, and even that the opposing player may have “started it”, might all provide some defenses to a criminal charge of assault (which is what an attack like this would usually be charged as, if it happened on a city street.) It does not make it any the less illegal, assuming all the other factors required for a criminal conviction are present.

jim d, you need to watch a few more games.

provocative elbows and shirt/short grabbing are not good sportmanship, no matter what anybody says.

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True soccer players that are any good don’t have to use this kind of behavior. Typically the only players that do use this aggressive, bullying technique are those that are not as good as their opponents. They feel the only way to beat their opponents (because they haven’t got the best ball control) is to beat them down. True soccer is not an aggressive game. It is all about who can control and manipulate the ball better.