New Mexico/BYU massacre. Who is to blame?

Well there is enough blame to go around. Just ask all who was involved.

Elizabeth Lambert: The main character of this story. The first act of violence was to punch her opponent in the back in retaliation to an elbow to her. She should have been sent off for violent conduct. Then there was an over the ball tackle with a scissors kick. Over the ball or scissors? Either one should have warranted a send off. Yet neither did. There were a few other trifling challenges compared to what I just mentioned, but if the first two didn't warrant a send off, the final blow which caught the attention of the nation as a whole was the severe hair pulling to the ground.

Carlee Payne: Let's not forget the spark that started the forest fire. She threw the elbow to Lambert's chest. USSF have been going over in week in review regarding the use of elbows and whether it is used as a tool (yellow card) or a weapon (red card). Looked like a weapon to me. Probably wouldn't be anything to talk about had this not happened.

Kassidy Shumway: And let's not forget her little involvement. Mind you before she got yanked, she had a double fist full of shorts. I don't know about you but either I would be annoyed or excited by such foreplay. Hey, maybe there was more to the hair-pulling then I thought.

Last but not least;
Referee Joe Pimentel and his crew: Where the hell where they? What were they watching? Mr. Pimentel has a reputation for letting things go to the edge, but seems to manage to find a way to pull it back before things get out of hand. Apparently he let this go over. He eventually gave Lambert a caution for something marginal but let's these things go? Where were his assistants. What were their instructions?

Conclusion: Yes Lambert should be punished, but there is enough blame to go around. If Pimentel sent off Payne for the elbow and Lambert for the retaliation, they probably would not talk about this all over the internet and news. She get a few games next season suspension and still would have a soccer career to salvage. But now her career in college is pretty much close to over unless New Mexico decides to show some leniency. But hey, if Pimentel did his job, then New Mexico wouldn't have to do it for him.