The NWSL disciplinary committee suspended Seattle Reign player Merritt Mathias three games for violent conduct, referring to an incident during a Reign vs. Portland Thorns match when Mathias tussled with Thorns defender Emily Sonnett over the ball and ended up pulling her hair.
Mathias’ suspension seems harsh when taken in isolation, but is no doubt also accounting for a previous incident literally the game before when she also gave a hard yank to the hair of Boston Breakers defender Allysha Chapman. Add on to that a general reputation as a player who crosses the line from hard-nosed to foul, and you get a three-game suspension and an undisclosed fine.