Parents and soccer fans are reacting to Elizabeth Lambert’s ponytail takedown against a Brigham Young University fellow player. Parents and soccer fans are expressing their outrage over Lambert’s surprisingly poor sportsmanship on a new Facebook page called “Ban Elizabeth Lambert of New Mexico From College Soccer.” During a soccer game which pitted the University of New Mexico against Brigham Young University, Elizabeth Lambert delivered a series of punches, trips and aggressive moves, but soccer fans were most appalled by her infamous ponytail takedown. For her behavior, Elizabeth Lambert received a yellow card during the game, but has since been indefinitely suspended from playing soccer.
Soccer fans across the globe are expressing their displeasure with this kind of aggressive play. There are currently 985 members who joined the new Facebook group. Many members expressed anger directed at not just Elizabeth Lambert, but also towards her coaches for allowing her to stay in the game. Debbie DeLong Shea said, “What a horrible example to set for our young players! Her coach & the refs should face stiff penalties for allowing or even encouraging this type of unsportsmanlike & dangerous behavior! I am completely disgusted...” Beth Phillips Holmwood also chimed in, “Elizabeth Lambert's behavior is a disgrace to the game. This is thug soccer, and hopefully the officials will impose a very stiff penalty - like lifetime suspension - for her behavior. She should be ashamed of herself.” Angie Boyd MacFarlane continued the sentiments by saying, “She is disgusting. Not the kind of example we need for girls in sports. I agree that her coaches were at least a little responsible for not taking her out of the game! I think therapy is in order.”
The UNM head coach suspended Lambert indefinitely on Friday, and the Mountain West Conference has started an investigation. Elizabeth Lambert’s punishment can range from a one-game suspension to an entire season suspension. Lambert has since apologized for her aggressive behavior and said, “I am deeply and wholeheartedly regretful for my actions. 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.”
Parents can use this incident and turn it into a teachable moment. While all sports are competitive, especially at the college level, this kind of out-of-control behavior on the playing field is simply unacceptable. Coaches should instill a passion for the game over the actual competition itself at an early age. The best coaches are those who look beyond the competition aspect and stress good sportsmanship, camaraderie and a love for the game. These qualities will help mold a child into a respectful and responsible adult.
What do you think? As a parent, does this video make your stomach churn? Does Elizabeth Lambert’s behavior outrage you, or is it all part of the game? Please feel free to leave your comments below.
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Comments
As a soccer mom to two high school players, I can't see UNM ever reinstating her to the team. Not only did she do irreparable harm to her reputation as a soccer player, she also managed to make her coach, team, and the refs look bad. I believe that she would now be the target of both players and refs. The refs would be watching her so closely in future games, she would probably not be able to play a physical game, and like it or not, soccer is a very physical game. She is rightly been branded a dirty player, and future teams might possibly act accordingly.
She should be banned from the soccer team but I think she has a great future in professional cage fighting or frontline military combat. Let's placed that penned-up energy to GOOD use.
She's dreadful and dispicable. This was not an isolated incident. Her actions are reprehensible and an apology isn't enough. Take her out for good!
She is a mole on the sport of soccer. Take her out, and keep her out!
Although her actions are obvious and inexcusable, please notice that some of her actions were in retaliation. Watch the video again. Notice the shot to the back was provoked by an elbow to her stomach and the hair pull was in response to her shorts being grabbed. Again, not excusing, however, their is blame to share.
Bob you are an ignorant old man, soccer is a full contact sport, what fun is it with out a little contact... be a man and realize the difference between full contact sports and MMA. Elizabeth Lambert should be jailed for assault... punch me in the back and slap me in the face, and pull my hair. thats not part of soccer. PMS should not be an excuse.
bob sucks.
The coach should definitely be disciplined. The center ref should be suspended. He/She did not make obvious calls. He/She couldn't have possibly missed all the egregious behavior we've seen on the highlights.
This is NOT the example that we want to set for our young daughters and sons.
Obviously, the player has emotion for the sport, but I'm not so sure they have love of the sport.
Tony Harding, anyone?
As a mom of three soccer girls, I think Elizabeth Lambert is a disgrace. What type of example is this for the next generation of soccer players? I hope UNM does the right thing and bans her permanently. This girl is nothing but an overgrown bully.
Sweep the Leg! Give Her a Body Bag! Yeah!
She should be banned from soccer.
I coached girls soccer for many years, and have seen "rough" play.
Lambers exhibition was not soccer but brutality and thugwomanship.
She should never be allowed to play college soccer again.
This demonstration is an embarishmnet to soccer and the sport.
There's unsportsmanlike conduct, personal fouls & then there's assalt. When the refs did nothing, she should have been arrested in the middle of the game for assalt. That would have been egg-on-the-face of the refs.
Elizabeth Lambert is a psycho and should certainly be permanently banned from college soccer for her actions on the field. That is was the most disgraceful display of behavior I've ever witnessed from a female athlete ever. That kind of repulsive behavior should have been addressed immediately and the referees obviously were oblivious. Shameful from every angle. Ban Elizabeth and take her scholorship away. Give it to someone less destructive and more appreciative!
At first I was shocked by her seemlingly unprovoked violence, but then I saw how other players were taking cheap shots at her, likely the whole game. Of course, it does NOT excuse her extreme reaction. It also doesn't excuse how aggressive she is. I also blame the refs for allowing her level of aggression during the game. Maybe they didn't see some of what she did, but it is important to recognize that she wasn't the only player playing dirty.
I'm still a child, and I've played soccer since I was 4. I know all the rukes, I'm not an "EXPERT" but I know pretty much everything about soccer, I've seen aggressive play, and maybe more than just aggressive, but this is BEYOND aggressive, This is absolutley ridiculous. And yeah, Maybe the refs could've taknen some control, But this girl is how old? SHE should have control over herself!
At first I was shocked by her seemlingly unprovoked violence, but then I saw how other players were taking cheap shots at her, likely the whole game. Of course, it does NOT excuse her extreme reaction. It also doesn't excuse how aggressive she is. I also blame the refs for allowing her level of aggression during the game. Maybe they didn't see some of what she did, but it is important to recognize that she wasn't the only player playing dirty.
it's a good thing she didn't have a baseball bat!
If I read one more comment re: her being "provoked" by the other players, I'll throw up. In both the punch-in-the-back & hair-pulling episodes, she was crowding/pushing/nudging/rubbing the girls, and they reacted in the mildest predictable way; the first trying to disengage her w/a mild elbow, the second with a hand that contacted only Lambert's shorts. Look at the expressions on both girls' faces, for crying out loud; they were both totally involved in what was going on downfield. Lambert's full attention was on hurting them. Look at the expression on HER face! Cold, calculating hatred.
"...let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation" my hind foot! She should be in prison.
What happened was provocation. If anyone reaches at my crotch when I'm trying to play soccer, they're gonna regret it.
And the ponytail girl...she's a pretty good actress.
To Portia:
How does the expression on those girl's faces excuse them from elbowing and crotch-grabbing?
Paulina, either your eyes are bad or your crotch is in a very unusual location.
shouldn't be allowed a concealed weapon permit
She would be great playing for the USMC, probably OK in a foxhole too.
Elizabeth Lambert should be banned from college sports forever and have her scholarship taken away. She should also never be allowed to coach sports as well. What she did was extremely cold and calculating not to mention dangerous. She could have broken that girl's neck. Something is seriously mentally wrong with her. After seeing that video on the news, I was horrified. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
I want her to babysit my kids.
Elizabeth is probably ashamed of her rough play, or should be, but the real shame will come when she is exploited by someone trying to captialize on her notoriety. Roller Derby, Professional wrestling. She is in the headlines now! It will be sad to see who will try to use her.
The behavior of Ms Elizabeth Lambert is typical of White American. The saddest nature of the circumstance is that since intergration Black Folks have pick up the same bullying behavior. Selmians have made it town a pariah state. Well... the city that gave all of these rights to our nation, as well as having shown the world how to have a peaceful struggle for freedoms, failed to deliver it to themselves. One of the major faults of our citizens were that they didn't vote out of office, the long time mayor Joe T. Smitherman. I returned to Selma in 1990. When I would do community volunteer work, and should say to the people it was not Mr. Smitherman's fault that the people didn't know that they should have voted out.
As a child o
f the 1960s, I had never imagine America becoming what it has.
personally i would put her on the womens national team and start her. she is a beast
Frances from Selma, you be community organizer?
Elizabeth Lambert should definitely be banned from college soccer however I would also recommend that all the folks that are our there that are as upset as me, write to the head of the department at the University, - the coach kvela@unm.edu and the vice president of Athletics - P Krebs - assuming his email is krebs@unm.edu
go Elizabeth Lambert should definitely be banned from college soccer however I would also recommend that all the folks that are our there that are as upset as me, write to the head of the department at the University, - the coach kvela@unm.edu and the vice president of Athletics - P Krebs - assuming his email is krebs@unm.edu
go to golobos dot com/staffdir
Soccer Mom/Coach/Referee.
Get real! If your little girl was out there getting elbowed, crotch grabbed,and taunted you would probably be the one doing the ponytail takedowns. Elizabeth simply lost her cool,and she has admitted it,and stands ready to take the punishment deemed appropriate by the University of New Mexico. What more can you ask for. I would not be surprised if you coach your players to be discrete with their pokes and grabs. The camera man cought on to what was going on and concentrated on UBY 7 & 21 and UNM 15. Parents on the side lines have done far worse at games played by much younger kids. It is time to get over this incident and get on with your life. Teach your players not to taunt others or get a butch hair do.
Anyone can read a prepared statement of apology. Come on, do you really think Lambert wrote that? Do you think for a minute that she would have ever considered apology before finding she was the subject of every sportscaster? She should not be suspended. She should be EXPELLED which means no provisions for coming back in. And coaches who allow this type of play, they should be expelled as well. What happened to "you win some, you lose some"? Let's put integrity back into its proper place.
if you suspend her for her play you needto suspend the byu players for their play as well. dont elbow her, dont pull her shorts unless you wnat to deal with her wrath. there is no way the ponytail pull is not half acting and half real...like a punter trying to get the roughing the kicker call...enough of the PC feel good bullshit where everyone get s a trophy for playing...that's not how real life works. Careers, money and opportunites await those after college for being a national chamion versus an avg player, etc...there are real life consequences at stake and she wasn't gonna be f'd with. I would urge any one of you to be at the bottom of the pile in a college football game..it's like a gang fight, but no one ever says anything about that. How come?
if you really want to address criminal behavior you might want to look at every football team in the NCAA contending for a national championship. there are millions of $ at stake in revenues for the universities, alumni are paying players left and right. Millions of dollars in contracts and everything else related to these programs are given through a good ol boy network of wealthy controlling alumni and you people are outraged by a ponytail pull? its like picking pepper outta flyshit!
Reasonable, you are ridiculous. I watched the video. The ponytail takedown, along with her other abuses, were extremely brutal. How can you point your finger at some other sport, or at financial stakes, and lessen the severity of it? If my children ever did HALF of the crap this woman pulled, I would remove them from the sport myself. Inexcusable.
im glad she did what she had done,she did take it too far but hey at least ple oticed it finally how players are on the feild the other girls arent special either they kept picking on her aswell so let the same things for all player not one that was obivios,she wasnt diong it to just have fun or play dirty there was a reason.
She should become a UFC fighter, the ponytail throw could be her signature move and she could change her name to Lizy the Tizy Lambert.
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