Elizabeth Lambert now: Where is the ponytail girl in 2025?
Elizabeth Lambert is an American former collegiate soccer player who gained infamy after her aggressive and violent behaviour during a soccer match in 2009. Lambert violently yanked an opponent to the ground by pulling her hair during that game. More than 15 years later, she is said to have retreated from the public eye.
Source: UGC
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Key takeaways
- Elizabeth Lambert was a junior soccer player at the University of New Mexico.
- She played as a defender for the New Mexico Lobos women's soccer team.
- The team banned her for two games after pulling an opponent, Kassidy Shumway, to the ground by her ponytail.
- Lambert was reinstated to the team in August 2010, but only played around 98 minutes in her final season.
Elizabeth Lambert's profile summary
Full name | Elizabeth Lambert |
Nickname | Ponytail girl |
Gender | Female |
Age | 37 years in 2026 |
Place of birth | Sacramento, California |
Nationality | American |
Hair colour | Blonde |
Eye colour | Dark brown |
Famous as | University of New Mexico soccer player |
Position | Defender |
Alma mater | University of New Mexico |
Educational background | Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy |
Who is Elizabeth Lambert?
Soccer player Elizabeth Lambert, a Sacramento native, began playing at age five. She joined the University of New Mexico women's soccer team in 2006, where she had a record as a highly competitive player.
What was she studying?
Lambert was also an excellent student. She majored in occupational therapy and was determined to become one after college. She also wished to play soccer professionally.
Source: UGC
What happened to Elisabeth Lambert?
Unfortunately, Elizabeth's fate changed after the 5 November 2009 match. As captured in a soccer video during the semi-final match against Brigham Young University, she committed multiple unsportsmanlike plays and fouls. What fueled public outrage was that the referee did not take action immediately.
In the viral video, Elizabeth kicked an opponent in the face, tripped an individual from behind, delivered a punch to another player's back, and forcefully pulled BYU's Kassidy Shumway down by her ponytail hairstyle. Her actions earned her the name Ponytail Girl.
Surprisingly, Lambert only received a yellow card later on in the game. Meanwhile, her victims suffered injuries and seemed to be in immense pain.
Was Elizabeth Lambert suspended from soccer?
The incident forced the University of New Mexico to weigh in and suspend her indefinitely. The university's conference supported the suspension, saying Elizabeth Lambert of the University of New Mexico violated the Sportsmanship policy.
Was Elizabeth Lambert banned forever?
According to an ESPN publication, Lambert served a two-game suspension after the BYU match incident. She was reinstated in August 2010 and was eligible to play as a senior, proving she was not a female soccer player banned for life. Kit Vela, her coach, commented on the matter, saying,
She is doing great. She has an unbelievable team behind her.
Despite returning, Lambert only played 98 minutes in her final year before reportedly quitting football. She opted for a different profession. but living privately.
Source: UGC
Elizabeth Lambert's apology
Nearly two weeks after the incident, Elizabeth Lambert addressed the ordeal in a November 2009 interview with the New York Times by issuing a public apology. In her first interview since the incident, she mentioned she could not fully explain what led her to yank her opponent by her ponytail. She admitted her actions were indefensible, saying,
I still deeply regret it and will always regret it and will carry it through the rest of my life not to retaliate. I look at it, and I am like, 'That is not me.
At the same time, Lambert mentioned that some of her actions, like the punch, were inadvertent and were taken out of context in a condensed video. She insisted that the issue was misinterpreted because it occurred during a women's game. She said,
Because I am a female, it brought about a lot more attention than if a male were to do it. It is expected for men to go out there and be rough. The female we are still looked at as, Oh, we kick the ball around and score a goal. But it is not. We train very hard to reach the highest level we can get to. The physical aspect may have increased over the years. I am not saying it is for the bad or that it has been too overly aggressive. It is a game. Sports are physical.
She added,
I think the way the video came out made me look like a monster. That is not the type of player I am. I am not just out there trying to hurt players. That is taking away from the beauty of the game. And I would never want to do that.
Source: UGC
Where is Elizabeth Lambert, the soccer player?
Elizabeth Lambert of New Mexico University graduated in 2010. She allegedly pursues a career as an occupational therapist. The former college footballer opted for a private life, and not much is known about her current whereabouts.
Are there Elizabeth Lambert's movies?
She has not starred in any movie, and there is no film made inspired by her actions.
Is Elizabeth Lambert married?
She allegedly got married, although details about Elizabeth Lambert's soccer husband are not publicly available. She is allegedly a mum. She is off social media; therefore, updated information on Lambert's whereabouts is unavailable.
These details about Elizabeth Lambert bring you up to speed on her past before the ill-fated match that changed the trajectory of her life. It is unclear whether she fulfilled her dream to pursue a career in professional soccer. She went off the radar, although she is purportedly married and works as an occupational therapist.
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Priscillah Mueni (Lifestyle writer) Priscillah Mueni is a lifestyle and entertainment content creator with more than 4 years of experience. She graduated from Meru University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering in 2019. In 2023, Priscillah finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. She has been writing articles on Briefly.co.za since 2019. Email: pshmueni@gmail.com
John Ouma (Lifestyle writer) John Ouma is a journalist with six years of experience. He has published sharply argued think pieces that live at the intersection of power, politics, and society. He was awarded the FirstGen scholarship by Biola University and a merit-based scholarship by AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts in January 2021. He has worked for The Standard and Nation Africa as an opinion columnist between 2018 and 2022. He is currently working on his first novel—a literary fiction that traces the life of a contemporary Kenyan artist. Email: gervasjohn97@gmail.com
