Nicole Kozlova signs professionally with Denmark's HB Køge

KØGE, Denmark – Taking her soccer talents to the next level, Virginia Tech women's soccer alumna Nicole Kozlova has signed a professional contract with HB Køge inside Gjensidige Kvindeliga – Denmark's premier women's soccer league.
 
Kozlova touched down in Denmark on Wednesday as she prepares to join the club during its preparation for the spring's championship round campaign. HB Køge, which has won three consecutive league trophies (awarded biannually per season), will pursue a fourth straight title during the 2021-22 championship round, taking place between late March and early June.
 
An athletic goal scorer atop Tech's form, Kozlova found the back of the net 14 times during her 40-match tenure with the Hokies, registering six assists while making 37 starts. After taking a medical redshirt during her freshman 2018 season, she bounced back to lead Tech in scoring during 2019 (five goals, 12 points), capping her collegiate career in 2021 with her seven-goal, four-assist campaign during the program's run to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
 
As a senior, Kozlova's most notable Tech highlight occurred during the team's September 2021 match at No. 12 South Carolina when she slid in the match-winning goal during the first half of the Hokies' 1-0 upset victory. She graduated from Virginia Tech in December, earning her bachelor's degree in computational modeling and data analytics with a minor in mathematics.
 
No stranger to playing abroad, Kozlova – born in Canada to her Ukrainian parents Dmitry and Olya – has been a regular call-up to the Ukrainian Women's National Team, devoting parts of the 2020-21 and 2021 college seasons to international duty. In October 2021, she competed for Ukraine during 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying, scoring the opening goal during Ukraine's 4-0 UEFA Group B victory against the Faroe Islands.
 
HB Køge head coach Søren Randa-Boldt addressed the significance of Kozlova's signing in the club's welcome announcement (translated from Danish):
 
"Our contacts and good networks in the [United States] have helped us find a really good striker. Nicole is a goal scorer, she is hardworking and aggressive and then she becomes one who is going to be really annoying to play against for our opponents. In addition, she is a national team player for a large European nation in Ukraine and is a hallmark of quality."
 
Upon signing, Kozlova became the second member of Tech's 2021 senior class to pursue soccer at the professional ranks, joining her attacking teammate and fellow December graduate, Emily Gray. At the 2022 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Draft presented by Ally, Gray was selected No. 3 overall by the North Carolina Courage.
 
As a program, Virginia Tech now has five active alumnae competing professionally: