Tech falls 1-0 to William & Mary in final preseason tune-up

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Junior goalkeeper Kyle Renfro's five stops and the stout play of the Virginia Tech defense wasn't enough as Roshan Patel's goal in the 22nd minute led William & Mary to a 1-0 win over the Hokies Saturday night at Martin Family Stadium.

Tech opened up the match on the offensive with a high shot from Jed Prater in the 4th minute and headed attempt by David Fiorello in the 12th minute.

The Tribe didn't get into the shot column until the 21st minute, but the attempt was saved by Renfro. Less than a minute later, a blocked shot after a Tribe corner kick led to Patel's shot from the edge of the box and the game's go-ahead goal.

Despite giving up the early lead, Virginia Tech head coach Mike Brizendine was pleased with how the game progressed and how his squad responded on the road.

"I felt that as the game went on, really in the last 25 minutes, we took it to them," Brizendine said. " I felt that we were able to sort some things out and make some adjustments in the second half that allowed us to really go at them. While we didn't score, we had some very good opportunities."

Freshman Kai Marshall was dangerous in the offensive third, tallying a team-high three shots with one on target in 52 minutes of play.

Heading into next week's season opener, the coaching staff wanted to take advantage of tonight's tune-up to get a good idea of what the starting group will look like.

In all, seven players totaled more than 75 minutes of action, with Fiorello, Prater, Devante Dubose, Hunter Jecius and Connor Swartz going the full 90 minutes. A total of 17 players saw the field for Tech.

"Our goal was to have people learn their roles and to get better," Brizendine said. "We were working toward getting a better idea of our starting group and I think we accomplished that. I also learned who I can turn to to come off of the bench."

Tech opens the regular season Friday night at Thompson Field as it hosts the 2012 Hilton Garden Inn Hokie Invitational. The first match between James Madison and Richmond begins at 5 p.m., while the Hokies take on SIU-Edwardsville at 7:30 p.m.