In a game in which neither team enjoyed much flow or rhythm to their attack, the Michigan women's soccer team ultimately lost a battle of attrition to bitter rival Ohio State on two late goals, 2-0.

However, in their first game in Big Ten conference play, the Wolverines physically dominated their opponents throughout.

In fact, Michigan (0-1-0 Big Ten, 5-2-2- overall) was so physical that its 19 fouls more than tripled its shots (six), and was more than six times the number of shots on goal the Wolverines mustered for the entire game (three).

With such feeble offensive output, the Wolverines gained very little for their efforts. However, there was no question that their Buckeye counterparts felt their physical presence on the field.

Midfielders Meghan Toohey and Sarah Stanczyk led the charge with several bruising tackles, some legal and some not, which epitomized the fire and intensity of Michigan’s staunch defensive effort.

The aggressiveness of the game was at times deemed excessive, as Stanczyk and striker Nkem Ezurike were booked for barking at the head referee after both players were whistled for fouls.

Although Michigan was undoubtedly fired up to play its rivals and start its conference schedule, the Wolverines insisted that their game plan did not necessarily change because Ohio State was the opponent.

“We weren’t going into it thinking we were going to be anymore physical than normal," senior captain defender Jackie Carron said. "We were going to go in there and pressure hard for every ball.”

Added Stanczyk: “We always do want to be a physical team. We knew that Ohio State was definitely a larger team than we are and a more physical team, so it was definitely in the back of our minds that we were going to have to bring that presence.”

Michigan coach Greg Ryan admitted that a physical mindset has become a staple of Michigan’s identity this season.

“Our girls fought very hard … I think Ohio State deserved to win today," he said. "They were the better team over the 90 minutes. Our focus is on playing hard, putting teams under pressure, but not fouling, and some of the fouls weren’t really hard fouls … but I do think that we have become a very aggressive team which is a big departure from what we’ve been in the past.”

With such a taxing style of play, the Wolverines certainly felt the disappointment of putting so much energy into playing their rivals with very little to show for their efforts.

"This outcome definitely hurts a little bit more with the rivalry, but especially because it’s our first Big Ten match of the season and we’ve been coming off such a high with all the wins that we’ve been producing in non-conference games," Stanczyk said. "So to lose this after we put such an effort in is a pretty big blow, but we’re looking to bounce back for next week for sure.”

After showing consistency and racking up points against their non-conference opponents, the Wolverines certainly have their work cut out for them as Big Ten play resumes.