For a brief second, the ball disappeared into a sea of players in front of the Clemson net. When it came out, Virginia sophomore Chase Neinken knew exactly what to do.

It seems like ages ago that the Virginia men’s soccer team lost games to St. John’s, Southern Methodist and VCU.

No. 18 Virginia, behind two goals from sophomore Jimmy Simpson, took another step in the right direction, downing Liberty 3-0 in a non-conference laugher.

Coming out of Lower Dauphin High School in Elizabethtown, Pa., Lauren Alwine was an All-American in field hockey and soccer. As one would expect, she was recruited in both sports by a number of the top college programs.

Since a 3-1 loss to Virginia Commonwealth on Sept. 13, the Virginia men’s soccer team has won two straight and has outscored its opponents by a 9-0 margin.

On Wednesday, MRI results revealed that the Virginia freshman has likely torn both his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee.

Tony Tchani had two goals and an assist to lead the Virginia men’s soccer team to a 4-0 victory over Central Connecticut State Tuesday night.

“Just practicing and getting that experience with them really helped,” Meghan Lenczyk said. “It definitely helped my confidence.”

George Gelnovatch wasn’t the least bit discouraged by his team’s 2-3 record — the program’s worst start since the 1983 season.

When prep phenom Jonathan Villanueva first decided to forgo a professional soccer career in Europe and attend the University of Virginia, George Gelnovatch was practically doing cartwheels outside of Klockner Stadium.

With less than four minutes left in the game, Virginia forward Meghan Lenczyk figured it was time to try something different.

In Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth took just three shots on goal, but made its chances count in a 3-1 victory over Virginia on Saturday night.

Against William & Mary, No. 9 Virginia’s shooting efficiency (or lack thereof) was once again on display. The ninth-ranked Cavaliers scored on just two of their 18 shots. Fortunately, it didn’t come back to bite them as they squeaked out a 2-1 win in front of a crowd of 1,097 at Klockner Stadium.

For the past three years, one of Celeste Miles’ most exciting duties on the Virginia women’s soccer team has been serving as a quasi-DJ. Lil’ Wayne and Jay-Z are just a couple of the artists on the mixes that Miles has created for the team’s pregame warm-up music.

With a 6-foot-4 frame and silky smooth athleticism, Tony Tchani isn’t too hard to locate on a soccer field.

Allie Fries had taken 35 shots in 54 games in over 2,300 minutes of playing time between her goal three years ago versus Virginia Tech and the one that she scored on Sunday night against VCU.

Not since the 2003 season had the Virginia men’s soccer team dropped its first two games. That year, UVa still wound up winning the ACC.

The sophomore from McLean had a hat trick off the bench as Virginia dominated Liberty, 5-0.

The Virginia men’s soccer team lost its first season opener in five years, dropping a close 1-0 decision to St. John’s on Friday night at Klockner Stadium.

Last season was a disappointing one for the Virginia men’s soccer team. UVa finished 12-8-2 (1-5-2 in the ACC) and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to West Virginia. That marked the program’s earliest exit from the Big Dance since 1996.

On Friday night at Klockner Stadium, both those things happened as UVa — behind two goals from senior Kelly Quinn — opened its season with a dominating 4-0 victory over Loyola (Md.) in front of 848 fans.

Virginia women’s soccer coach Steve Swanson has enjoyed a great deal of success in his nine years at the helm, so it was pretty telling when he recently said that his team’s performance last year was “some of the best soccer this program has seen.”

On Monday, Chris Agorsor was named the 2007-08 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year.