New Mexico Soccer Elizabeth Lambert!

VIDEO! Here again is YouTube video of New Mexico Women’s Soccer Elizabeth Lambert. New Mexico Elizabeth Lambert was suspended from Soccer play by her University Friday.

In a video profiled that day on LALATE, Lambert assaults BYU women’s soccerKassidy Shumway. Now Lambert is speaking out. Lambert issued the following statement Friday:

“My actions were uncalled for. I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation…. This is no way indicative of my character or the soccer player I am.”

New Mexico coach Kit Vela issued the following words:

“Liz is a quality student athlete but in this instance her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship.”

The video became the biggest broadcasted video of women’s soccerthis month, replaying on ESPN SportsCenter and going viral online.Online reaction included the following remarks:

I? am sure her parents are sooooo proud.

hey …. ever seen american football people get? paralyzed during games

her behavior was criminal..?She brings shame to her school and her sport.

She needs to be charged with assault. I wouldn’t let her? do that to me.

In the end her team lost.

High School Football Team Near Fort Hood Copes With Tragedy

The scene here at Leo Buckley Stadium late Friday night was reminiscent of most high school football venues across the country, as the Shoemaker Grey Wolves dealt with the reality their season was over.

Tears were shed, hugs were exchanged between players, coaches and players, coaches and coaches. Then the coaches thanked the seniors for great effort.

But this was no ordinary season-finale ritual for the Grey Wolves. Just over 24 hours earlier, many of them weren't sure if their parents or loved ones were injured -- or worse, killed -- in the deadly shooting rampage at Fort Hood, the nation's largest military base.

Shoemaker High School, which is just a stone's throw away from Fort Hood, is heavily populated with kids whose families either live on base or are serving in the military. With wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, these young people have become accustomed to dealing with death.

But that didn't make news of Thursday's deadly rampage any easier for many of them to take. Twelve soldiers and one civilian were killed, and 30 others were wounded. If there was any solace, it was that none of the Grey Wolves' parents or immediate family members were affected by the shooting.

"We just sat there and put our heads together and wished for the best and hoped it was none of our relatives. Luckily, it wasn't. But we came out here to play for them, too, the people from Fort Hood."

"It was tough for us, knowing some of our players' moms and dads were probably hurt or injured," said Shoemaker sophomore quarterback Jammie Blount, whose family is awaiting orders to deplored to Korea soon. "We just sat there and put our heads together and wished for the best and hoped it was none of our relatives. Luckily it wasn't.

"But we came out here to play for them, too, the people from Fort Hood."

"It was really hard for us to come and play this game knowing what went on and that families some of us know were affected," said Shoemaker senior lineman Jaime Bennett, who shed tears when the game was finished. "It was really really tough to get through. But we prayed and then we moved on."

Shoemaker head coach Ken Gray braced for the worst as news spread around Killeen that a shooter was on the loose on base. Around Shoemaker, much more so than the other high schools in the community, helping young kids deal with tragedy is just something teachers, coaches and administrators do.

"We are in a unique situation in that our kids' parents are fighting the war in Iraq and they are fighting the war in Afghanistan and Kuwait and places," Gray said. "So there have been events like this in their lives.

"What we try to do as coaches is we try to keep things as normal as we can and as consistent as we can with our kids. This tragedy from (Thursday) kind of wears on the kids, whether it's their dad or not. Whenever they hear of a soldier passing or getting killed we send up a prayer because you never know when it's one of their parents or relatives."

The Killeen school district shut down all extra-curricular activities the day of the shooting, but higher-ups at Fort Hood expressed the desire to get things back to normal. So it was business as usual Friday night at Buckley Stadium, where the night began as always with a prayer for the soldiers and their families.

"The message this morning from Fort Hood was they wanted to get things back as normal as possible with school and everything else," said Killeen District athletic director Tom Rogers. "So this is our regularly scheduled game.

"There was some discussion early but that went away fairly quickly.

"Any time I've been around football or a sporting event where there has been a tragedy that's happened during that week," he continued, "it's what the kids know and when they get to go to the field it gets them back to their normal life and they get to forget about anything that's going on outside."

But Rogers admitted Thursday was especially tough for the student-athletes.

"A lot of them went through a lot of stress (Thursday) because there was quite a bit of uncertainty for quite a bit of time because so many of their parents work on Fort Hood," Rogers said. "So when they locked things down, rumors started flying and kids start talking and people start talking. There are some things that come out ... There was just a lot of uncertainty so for them to come back and play a game like that tonight was unbelievable."

Winless this season, the Grey Wolves seemed to play inspired football Friday night as they took an early 6-0 lead over rival Temple and then another 12-7 lead in the second quarter before Temple and highly touted running back recruit Lache Seastrunk ran off with a 44-32 victory.

But Gray, whose team made the Texas high school playoffs last season, talked about his team with pride despite their 0-10 season. He saw his team, which lost its three Division I prospects to injury within the first two weeks of the season, fight until the end Friday night.

In fact, the outcome could have been much different for the Grey Wolves had their receivers not dropped three point-blank touchdown passes.


"They were ready to go. Like we told them all week, `You give it all you've got. There's a lot of people that are supporting you throughout the world,' Gray said. "We were getting calls from Iraq, kids were getting text messages from everywhere around the world, because that's where our kids' parents are.

"So there are a lot of people supporting us so I kind of reminded them of that."

Women's soccer player suspended indefinitely

Athlete clearly crossed the line of good sportsmanship, coach says

It didn’t happen in a dimly lit meeting room, and fans don’t need handwritten testimony to know what happened.

It’s perfectly clear what Elizabeth Lambert did. The UNM soccer player threw punches and pulled the hair of her opponents during a match Thursday, and for this she is suspended indefinitely, head coach Kit Vela said in a statement released on Friday.

“Liz is a quality student-athlete, but in this instance her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship,” Vela said.

In the women’s soccer Mountain West Conference Tournament semi-final match between the Lobos andBYU, Lambert repeatedly made aggressive plays. Some bordered on dirty, but others were clearly over the line. Still, Lambert only got one yellow card toward the end of the game.

BYU forward Kassidy Shumway took the harshest of Lambert’s attacks. Lambert yanked down on Shumway’s ponytail, sending her to the turf where she lay for several seconds.

“I am deeply and wholeheartedly regretful for my actions,” Lambert said in a statement Friday. “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 andUNM administration.”

Lambert let her emotions get the best of her on a second, third and fourth occasion during the game before she was finished.

Lambert threw a punch to the back of BYU forward Carlee Payne after Payne elbowed Lambert in the stomach.

Later, Payne and Lambert exchanged blows in midair.

And with four minutes left in the game, Lambert tripped a BYU player. Officials penalized Lambert with a yellow card on that play — it was the only penalty Lambert received throughout the game. It was also the only penalty given to either team on Thursday.

BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood, shying away from talking about the specific incidents, said her team managed to play on through Lambert’s actions.

“Soccer at the Division I level is very physical,” Rockwood said. “Some games are more physical than others, and like I tell my players, we just need not to react when those things happen and make sure we do the best that we can. Both Carlee and Kassidy continued on with the game and really tried hard to not let that affect their play.”

Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs said Lambert’s actions were reprehensible.

“Liz’s conduct on the field against BYU was completely inappropriate,” Krebs said in a statement. “There is no way to defend her actions.”

Lambert expressed remorse for her actions and apologized to the BYU players.

“This is in no way indicative of my character or the soccer player that I am,” Lambert said. “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.”

BYU went on to win the game, finishing the Lobos’ season at 13-5-3. And with a tournament game tomorrow, Rockwood said the team just wants to move on.

“I think we all understand that soccer is a physical game and that emotions are high,” Rockwood said. “We don’t really want to comment on it. People were battling and giving it a lot of effort, and some unfortunate things happened, and we just want to move forward.”

Univ New Mexico, BYU and Mtn. West Statements on Women's Soccer Conduct

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.

STATEMENT FROM BYU Nov. 6, 2009

Statement from Tom Holmoe, BYU Athletic Director, regarding incident in the BYU-New Mexico womens soccer match on Thurs., Nov. 5

Its an unfortunate incident that occurred in the game Thursday afternoon. The University of New Mexico and the Mountain West Conference have reviewed the situation and have acted appropriately.

Paul Krebs, the New Mexico Athletic Director, has been in contact with me and I am pleased with his immediate response to the matter.

We have a big game tomorrow and a chance to win the conference championship. The girls have worked hard for this opportunity and were all excited to continue playing.

STATEMENT FROM UNM LOBOS

New Mexico Womens Soccer Player Suspended Indefinitely

University of New Mexico head womens soccer coach Kit Vela announced today that junior defender Elizabeth Lambert has been suspended indefinitely for her actions in Thursdays 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 womens soccer players that were personally affected by my actions. I have the upmost respect for the BYU womens 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.Lizs 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.

UCLA basketball: A shocker at halftime vs. Concordia

This could not have been the start that UCLA fans were hoping for.

A Bruins team that struggled to handle the ball in the backcourt. A Bruins team that could not defend against the drive.

A Bruins team that went into hafltime trailing, 31-28, to Concordia, a small school from Irvine that plays in the NAIA.

The smallish Eagles looked significantly quicker, penetrating the lane, scoring over UCLA big men who offered little in the way of help defense as guard Justin Johnson raced to 17 points.

UCLA guards Malcolm Lee and Mustafa Abdul-Hamid provided no response early. Only the play of forward James Keefe, who made two three-point baskets among his nine points, kept the Bruins close.

Yankees parade set for Friday at 11 a.m. down Canyon of Heroes

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Wednesday night that the city will be hosting a ticker-tape parade for the World Series Champion New York Yankees on Friday at 11 a.m. The parade will start at Broadway and Battery Place, travel up through the Canyon of Heroes to Chambers Street and will be followed by a ceremony at City Hall Plaza where Bloomberg will present the team with keys to the city.

“Congratulations to the Yankees for bringing the world championship back home to New York City, where it belongs,” the mayor said.

“What’s sweeter than a World Series won at home? The only thing that comes close is a ticker-tape parade up the Canyon of Heroes, and that’s exactly what New Yorkers will get on Friday.”

For the so-called "Core Four" of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte it'll be their first ride through the confetti since 2000 after the Bombers took down the Mets in the Subway Series.

"It feels better than I remember," Jeter said after the Yankees clinched their 27th World Series title. "It's been a long time."

According to the Daily News, the cost of parades, like the one the city hosted for the Giants two years ago, runs about $330,000. However, the city only had to cover $24,000 of the parade for the Giants, the rest was paid for by private donors.

The mayor's office warns fans that there are no tickets to the parade route itself or to the floats; it is open to the public. The city urges anyone who knows of people selling tickets to the route or floats to call 311.

However, a limited number of tickets will be made available for people who wish to attend the ceremony inside City Hall Plaza. Details on ticket availability will be announced later today. For folks who can't get a ticket, the ceremony can be watched on a giant screen that will be set up near City Hall Park.

India vs Australia 5th ODI: Live scores update

Have you been keeping an eye on progress in the 5th ODI match between India and Australia? Don’t worry if you haven’t as we have a score update to give you on the game so far.

As reported from the BBC, Australia have put in a very strong performance during their first innings -managing to score 350 runs in their innings. Top scorer was Marsh who scored a century with an impressive 112 runs.

As for India, Kumar was top wicket taker with two, but they face a struggle to beat Australia’s score. They will be looking at Tendulkar to get them out of trouble.