Four years removed from its last NCAA Tournament bid, the Michigan women's soccer team was desperate to hustle until the final minute of the season.

Those precious seconds finally ticked off of the clock Friday night in Stillwater, Okla. as the Wolverines fell to host No. 6 Oklahoma State 2-1 in the tournament's first round.

“It was just a really even game,” Michigan coach Greg Ryan said after the game. “It was a game that came down to some mistakes.”

An enthusiastic Michigan squad took a 1-0 advantage into halftime off of a goal by freshman Tori McCombs. Just when it seemed the Wolverines were poised for a magical postseason run, the wheels fell off, leading to a first-round exit.

Michigan (5-3-2 Big Ten, 10-5-4 overall) could not afford to lend any momentum to the Cowgirls (8-2 Big 12, 18-3-2), who were playing on their home field. Early in the second half, an Oklahoma State set piece led to an equalizer that Wolverine goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer barely missed scooping up.

“We didn't defend their free kick well,” Ryan said. “It was very easy to defend. We let them back into the game.”

The woes continued for Michigan just two minutes later when a loose ball squirted right onto the awaiting foot of junior Cowgirl Krista Lopez. She easily knocked it in for the eventual game winner.

As could only be expected after the thrilling upsets the Wolverines have pulled off throughout the season, the team fought until the bitter end. Shots were fired until just seconds remained, but any hope of a last-second miracle was thwarted by superb Oklahoma State goalkeeping on the part of sophomore Adrianna Franeh.

The loss ended the careers of five seniors on the roster. Only redshirt senior Kylie Neschke had previous NCAA experience, as she was a part of the Wolverine squad that lost in penalty kicks to Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the opening round of the 2006 tournament.

“I'm very proud of our seniors who have taken Michigan back to the NCAA Tournament,” Ryan said. “They really raised the level of our team.”

Prior to the 2006 visit, the Wolverines last trip to the tournament came in 2004 when a first-round nail-biter was once again the end of the line for the Wolverines.

Had Michigan maintained it's lead in the game's early stages, Oregon State awaited in the next round. The Beavers annihilated first-round opponent Memphis 5-0. The Cowgirls squared off with Oregon State on Sunday with a Sweet 16 bid on the line and Oklahoma State prevailed, 2-1.