CHARLOTTESVILLE—Substitute Chase Neinken scored off a rebound with 2:09 left in the match to give Virginia a 1-0 victory over Clemson on Friday night. The winning play came on a corner kick by Matt Mitchell that was headed Toward the goal by Tony Tchani. His shot was Blocked, but the rebound came to Neinken, who scored to maintain the Cavaliers’ perfect Atlantic Coast Conference start.

Jimmy Simpson scored two goals to lead 18th-ranked Virginia over Liberty 3-0 on Tuesday. Liberty————————————- 0 0—0
Virginia————————————- 3 0—3 Goal: U.Va., Simpson (Neinken), 14th minute; U.Va., Simpson (Mitchell), 19th; U.Va., Tchani, 22nd Saves: Gilbert (LU) 3; Giallombardo (U.Va.) 1

Kenny Lewis Jr. has talked often this season about how he doesn’t regret giving up a professional baseball career to play tailback at Virginia Tech. He dreaded going to the ballpark in his three seasons in the Cincinnati Reds’ minor-league system. But since he arrived at Tech in 2006, he said he hasn’t had a boring day. Yesterday would undoubtedly qualify as the worst of his football career. Lewis, a junior, ruptured his left Achilles tendon in the third quarter of the Hokies’ 27-13 win over Western Kentucky and will miss the rest of the season.

Virginia Tech wide receiver Ike Whitaker’s eventful career has taken yet another turn. Tech coach Frank Beamer has suspended Whitaker indefinitely because of violations of team policy, according to a press release yesterday. Beamer had no additional comment, according to the release. Whitaker’s suspension leaves the Hokies with a redshirt freshman and three true freshmen in the two-deep at receiver, though one of those freshmen, Xavier Boyce, is out with a left-knee injury that will require surgery.

VCU’s Quanitra Hollingsworth, a 6-5 senior post player, has recovered swiftly from an Achilles tendon injury and is expected to play in the Rams’ Nov. 14 Preseason NIT opener at Liberty. VCU coach Beth Cunningham said Hollingsworth, who has career averages of 14 points and 10 rebounds, “has come along much faster than anyone expected. Technically, she has already been cleared to play. If she keeps progressing the way she has been, I’d say yes, we’ll have her for the Liberty game.“

Virginia Tech will try to petition the NCAA for a medical-hardship waiver for sophomore rover Davon Morgan, but Tech’s compliance director, Tim Parker, is not optimistic. Morgan, a Varina graduate and one of Tech’s four Richmond-area starters, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Saturday’s game at Nebraska, Tech’s fifth of the season.

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One of Nebraska’s many football traditions occurs the night before games at Misty’s, a popular local steakhouse. Nebraska’s pep band plays inside the restaurant and is joined by the Cornhuskers’ cheerleaders and mascot, Herbie Husker. Nebraska fans are known for their hospitality toward opposing fans, and Misty’s reflected that attitude Friday night. Maroon and orange balloons—representing Virginia Tech’s colors—hung from booths, along with red and white balloons. At one point in the evening, the pep band—nattily attired in Chuck Taylors, basketball shorts, red cummerbunds, white tuxedo shirts and red bow ties—broke into a rendition of the Hokey Pokey.

Brian Welch, a freshman from Mills Godwin, finished eighth to help the host team place second in last weekend’s Virginia Tech Alumni Cross Country Invitational in Blacksburg. Six teams, including Florida State and Wake Forest, participated. Welch completed the 7.6-kilometer race in 24:19. His effort, the third-best among Tech competitors, missed the top five by less than 10 seconds.

Matt Mitchell scored both of Virginia’s goals to lead the Cavaliers past ACC rival Virginia Tech 2-1 last night. Mitchell put the Cavaliers on top in the first half, connecting on a cross from Ross LaBauex in the 19th minute. The Hokies averted a shutout when Scott Dillie finished off a header on an assist by James Gilson. Virginia goalie Michael Giallombardo earned his third straight victory and totaled three saves.

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer expects a loud environment when the Hokies play Saturday night at Nebraska. Memorial Stadium (capacity 81,067) has hosted an NCAA-record 292 consecutive sellouts, dating to 1962. So tomorrow, Beamer plans to bring his offense into Rector Field House, where Tech holds indoor practices, and pipe artificial noise through the speakers. Junior tailback Kenny Lewis Jr. said the offense did the same thing before last season’s game at Louisiana State. The noise in Rector is so loud, Lewis said, that he has to shout into the ear hole of a teammate’s helmet so he can hear him.

BLACKSBURG Some afternoons during the spring, Stephan Virgil parked his car atop a hill overlooking Virginia Tech’s practice field. He sat in silence, watching his teammates, wishing he were out there with them, visualizing how he would play a coverage or break on a pass. Virgil had spent many quiet moments since Tech’s season ended in January studying his playbook, drawing formations, imagining himself jamming receivers even when he was alone in his apartment. The Hokies needed to replace All-America cornerback Brandon Flowers, and Virgil wanted to do everything possible to fill that vacancy.

When Virginia Tech is in field goal range, coach Frank Beamer, who supervises special teams, usually summons senior kicker Dustin Keys and asks him how he feels. In the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game at North Carolina, with the score tied at 17, Beamer said nothing to Keys, presumably because Beamer was disappointed when quarterback Tyrod Taylor took a sack on third down and 6 at Carolina’s 25-yard line.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—A young team will inevitably torture its coaches and fans, leave them with fingernails gnawed to nubs, knuckles white from the anxiety that accompanies every pass and tackle. But then there are those Xanadu moments, the games and plays when everything falls just right, and anyone with hope invested in the team can’t help but dream about the future.

BLACKSBURG—Hassan Ibrahim chipped a shot past Stefan Caulfield with 2:42 to go in overtime to give Clemson a 3-2 win over Virginia Tech in an Atlantic Coast Conference match yesterday. Brandon Dunn, normally one of the Hokies’ goalkeepers, came off the bench to score with 6:04 left in regulation to force the extra period. Clemson————————————- 1 1 0—2
Va. Tech————————————- 1 1 1—3