BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Alabama soccer team fell to the No. 23 Virginia Tech Hokies Thursday night in Blacksburg, Va.

Alabama opened the first half with a strong offensive performance, acquiring six shots with four on frame. However, the Hokies were able to get on the board with a breakaway by Nicole Kozlova in the 36th minute.

In the second half, the Hokies increased their lead to two when Emmalee McCarter found the back of the net in the 55th minute. Sophomore Riley Mattingly earned a penalty kick opportunity in the 78th minute but the ball sailed just to the right. The Crimson Tide fought aggressively but ultimately were unable to score.

From Head Coach Wes Hart

"We won a lot of stats tonight, but not the ones that matter. I am proud of the fight as well of the quality of soccer, but we need to find a way to win these games if we want to take the next step with this program."

Behind the Box Score

Despite the outcome, Alabama outshot the Hokies 14-7. Junior Casey Wertz led the team with four shots with one on frame.

led the team with four shots with one on frame. The Tide earned eight more corner kicks than the Hokies (10-2).

Alabama maintained possession of the ball in the attacking direction 59 percent of the match.

Junior goalkeeper Alex Plavin grabbed two saves during the match.

Up Next

Alabama will travel to Chattanooga, Tenn. Sunday afternoon to battle against Chattanooga at 12 p.m. CT.

Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaSoccer on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaSoccer on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.