In a heated Rutgers vs UMass women’s soccer match, a physical altercation erupted between two players on Sunday. The incident occurred in the 55th minute of the game, when Rutgers senior Gia Girman was called for a foul. As Girman was getting up from the ground, UMass senior Ashley Lamond appeared to make a move to pick up the ball near Girman’s feet.

What started as a simple tussle quickly escalated into a full-blown fistfight. The two players became entangled, exchanged shoves, and ultimately ended up on the ground throwing punches and pulling each other’s hair. It took the intervention of their teammates to finally separate the feuding players.

Referees wasted no time in issuing red cards to both Girman and Lamond, forcing their respective teams to play with 10 players each for the remainder of the match. The tension on the field only continued to rise, resulting in four yellow cards being shown in the final minutes of the game, with two players from each team receiving cautions.

The physical altercation not only marred the match but also raised concerns about sportsmanship and player conduct. Despite the intense rivalry between the two teams, such behavior has no place on the soccer field. Both Rutgers and UMass will have to address the incident internally and work towards ensuring that such unsportsmanlike conduct does not repeat itself in future matches.