PROVO -- A University of New Mexico player on the women's soccer team may have played dirty in a Thursday game against Brigham Young University, but it is unlikely any criminal charges will result from her actions.

UNM junior Elizabeth Lambert has been suspended indefinitely from the soccer team after rough play against two BYU soccer players. In footage from the game, Lambert can be seen punching one player in the back after some elbowing from the BYU player, and later throwing a second player to the ground by her hair.

BYU police spokesman Lt. Arnold Lemmon said police are not looking into the incident and he has not seen any reports on it.

"We have received no formal complaint, so we're not doing a thing," he said.

Lemmon said it is rare to see a criminal complaint arise from actions on the field. Jostling between players would need to reach a criminal level, which can be difficult to determine in situations that are usually physical.

"That's a pretty gray area," he said.

If a person in the stands tackled another person to the ground, or if someone was blindsided on the street, it would easily be assault, Lemmon said. However, when such occurrences happen on the field, a player would likely need to report the incident to police for them to look into whether it was criminal.

As for the BYU team, coach Jennifer Rockwood said they want to move past the incident. Conference tournament games are generally physical and emotional, she said, and she has always told her players to focus on aspects they can control -- their own emotions and play.

Rockwood said there were no lasting injuries from Lambert's conduct, and players simply want to focus on the next big game. Lambert's actions are being handled by UNM administration and the conference, she said, and that's where the decisions on the matter will stay. The team does not want to think about it any more and certainly is not considering filing a criminal complaint.

"Not at all," she said. "We're beyond it already."

Provo City spokeswoman Helen Anderson said city prosecutors will not comment on an incident without a police report.

Local defense attorney Shelden Carter said it can be difficult to ascertain whether actions on the field are criminal because there is generally a lot of hair pulling and tugging on jerseys and shorts.

"I don't know how to interpret that, to tell you the truth," he said.

Carter said he has seen cases where an action in a game has prompted prosecution. In one case, a man was running to home plate in a recreational softball league and ran into the catcher hard, breaking some of the catcher's bones.

The runner was charged, Carter said, but the judge eventually decided for the runner because hitting a catcher in the game is to be expected. Although the impact caused injuries to the catcher, the judge felt the action was within the bounds of the game.

"There is more tolerance given to that situation, typically," he said.

In order for something in a game to arise to an assault, Carter said it would likely need to extend well beyond the bounds of the game. In most cases, the sanctions imposed by league officials will suffice.