Elizabeth Lambert, the woman footballer banned for violence

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Elizabeth Lambert, the woman footballer banned for violence

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11 November,2009 10:06 am

A hair raising, hair pulling infraction by a particularly aggressive player during a women's soccer match between the University of New Mexico and Brigham Young University has become an infamous cause celebre on YouTube.As cameras zeroed in on New Mexico's number 15, Elizabeth Lambert, a junior with a reputation for rough plays was spotted grabbing hold of opposing player Kassidy Shumway by her hair pony tail and yanking her to the ground. Lambert was not penalized for the hair pulling, but afterwards her coach suspended her indefinitely.Lambert has been cited previously for rough play, including the placement of a sharp one-two punch to the head of an opponent and, another time, responding to an opponent's errant elbow with a blow of her fist. But it was the pony tail incident -- now gone viral as a YouTube video -- that has made her unsportsmanlike conduct the focus of worldwide attention. Lambert's coach says she is a good student, but adds that her actions crossed the line. On soccer fields across the country, many youth players, parents and coaches who had seen the video now wonder what had become of their beautiful game.