Renata just helping out her friends

Union College has had its share of great women's soccer players.

The Lady Bulldogs have had on their roster the all-time leading goal scorer in collegiate HISTORY!!! And Union is the only school in NAIA history to boast of having TWO women's soccer players to score 100 goals during their careers.

But what Renata Peixoto is doing is on a whole other level.

Yesterday, the sophomore midfielder dished out five assists in the 6-0 win over Bluefield, narrowly missing tying the school record of six helpers in a game.

However, dishing out assists is what Renata has been doing all season. Through only nine games this season, she has scored eight goals and had 17 assists - one shy of tying the school record. At this clip, Renate could make a serious run at the NAIA record which stands at 29.

There is some history possibly in the making at Union. But if you're not careful, you could miss.

Just some random thoughts ...

It's kind of a quiet week here in the SID Office, so here are just some random thoughts and interesting tidbits - at least they're interesting to me, but I'm a stats geek so what do I know.

First, our women's soccer team lost 5-3 at Asbury. At first glance, it seems the Lady Bulldog defense had some issues. Well, they did but not the kind you might be thinking about. Asbury scored 3 of its 5 goals on penalty kicks!!!

I've been covering soccer for 15 years now, and this is the first time I've ever seen 3 PKs in one game let alone by one team. Brittany Puryear made 6 saves, but stopping a PK is not an easy chore.

On a side note, Ashley Hall is really burning up the back of the net!!! After yesterday's 2-goal performance, the sophomore now has 8 tallies on the season to tie her for second on the squad. Ashley had just 9 goals in 15 games last season.

Don't worry, the Lady Bulldogs will rebound from this.

Next, how 'bout the roll the Bulldog soccer team has begun the season on???

Union is 5-1-2 after yesterday's 3-1 victory over Berea. Had to do some digging for this tidbit, but the last time the Bulldogs began the year 5-1-2 was in 2001 when they ended the year 16-4-2, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA and missed advancing to the national tournament by ONE GAME - but we won't talk about that.

The thing I'm enjoying most about the Bulldogs is their balanced-scoring attack. There are literally 4 or 5 guys that can score at any moment with a number of other players able to chip a crucial goal when the need arises.

Watch out Appalachian Athletic Conference! Here comes the Bulldogs!

The Lady Bulldog volleyballers have a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde season early on. The start out the year going 3-1 against NCAA Division II schools, but open AAC play 1-2.

However, Union's turned things around with three straight AAC victories and sit third in the standing with a 4-2 league mark.

Scanning the Lady Bulldog stats, it's amazing how balanced it is. There are number of players leading the charge at the net, Monica Moreland and Christina Prindle are handling the assists and digs just fine, but two players really stand out to me.

First, junior Brooke Vinovich currently has nearly as many digs (92) as she does kills (94). I don't know why, but that's impressive to me. To be able to dominate the net like she does as well as get back and play defense just shows what kind of athlete Brooke is.

Also, freshman Amelia Cantrell is proving to be a valuable asset in her first season with the Lady Bulldogs. She's helped out with 41 kills thus far and is second on the team in blocks with 25 total blocks. All I can say is keep up the good work!!!

Lastly, the Bulldog cyclists are rolling, rolling, rolling. In their first two weekends of races, they have proven to be very strong unit and appear to be getting things in order for another NCCA National Championship run.

We're just four weeks into the fall sports season, and it's been a fun one thus far. Don't know about you, but I can't wait to see what the rest of the year will bring.

What a day!

Autumn Combs broke Union's career blocks record as a junior. Now the question is can she get to the single-season record of 273? She had 232 last season. Only time will tell.

Don't forget to come out Tuesday night to see Union host Cumberlands. Action gets underway at 7 p.m.

At Burch/Nau Field, Jason Lanham made his home debut as a head coach a memorable one. The Lady Bulldogs won 9-0 with two players posting hat tricks in the process. The thing about the two players with the hat tricks... one is a sophomore and the other is a freshman. The future and present are bright for the Lady Bulldogs.

The men's contest took a little while to unfold. But when it did, Union came out on top. No matter what happened with the stopping of play, coming back out, warming up, and then going back in, Union kept focused. Also, the team looked impressive with the mixture of new faces and experienced players on the pitch.

I was impressed with the attendance at today's games. It was great to see so many Union fans out supporting the soccer teams today. Everyone there gave Union a home-field advantage.

Well, it is time for a long weekend! Enjoy Labor Day and stay tuned for what's next.