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The beautiful game, this was not.
Things got heated and punches were thrown during a women’s college soccer match in the United States between Rutgers and University of Massachusetts on Sunday.
During the second half of the scoreless game taking place in Amherst, Mass., a hard foul by Rutgers forward Gia Girman kicked things off.
Girman had chased a UMass player and took her down from behind, with referee Stephanie McFarland whistling for the obvious foul.
But when UMass forward Ashley Lamond went to retrieve the ball from Girman and quickly resume play, the Scarlett Knights senior took exception.
From there, things escalated quickly with Lamond shoving Girman and the two coming to blows. Girman then threw Lamond to the ground as the pair continued to exchange blows, with the Minutewoman landing an uppercut while on her back.
“We’ve got fisticuffs on the far side,” the play-by-play announcer exclaimed as the teams came together.
Members of both squads then stepped in to separate the women as the ref whistled, trying to restore order.
Once things calmed down, both Girman and Lamond were shown red cards and ejected from the game.
According to NCAA rules, the red cards related to the fight carry a two-game suspension.
In the game recap on Rutgers’ website, the incident was described as a “scrap.”
A spokesperson for the school’s athletic department told the Associated Press that they were aware of the fight, but didn’t have an immediate comment.
As for the actual soccer action, UMass midfielder Bella Recinos scored the game-winning goal in the 81st minute for a 1-0 victory.
The two teams aren’t scheduled to meet again this season.