For years, Michigan’s women’s soccer has struggled mightily against Michigan State, as the Spartans have simply had more talent.

But on Saturday night the tables were turned.

This time, the Wolverines clearly outplayed the Spartans. While the result was the same as the past years, as the intrastate rivalry ended in a 0-0 draw, it was clear the talent gap has been closed.

“I am so proud of the girls,” Michigan coach Greg Ryan said after the game. “For two years we’ve had to sit back and defend for 90 minutes, and this year we have enough talent to go forward and go after teams.”

Even though the Wolverines (0-1-2 Big Ten, 5-2-4 overall) finished tied with the Spartans (2-1-1, 7-3-2) in shots on goal with three, the edge in possession and attacking play clearly belonged to Michigan.

The Wolverines had chances, as senior Jackie Carron nearly connected on a strike from 40 yards out and freshman Meghan Toohey just missed on both a free kick and one-two pass through the Spartan backline. Carron's impact didn't only come offensively, as she made the play of the day on a desperate slide tackle to bail the defense out of a Michigan State breakaway.

The ability to play positive soccer instead of negative, defensive soccer against their rival was important for Ryan.

“I think you’re seeing teams fall to Michigan State, but we took the game to them,” said Ryan. “I feel very positive about it. This was a team that for two years hasn’t been able to do this, but now we’re able to go after teams. Now we need just a bit of better quality when it comes to creating chances and putting them away. “

Senior Sarah Stanczyk was one of the best players on the field, putting in tremendous work in playing the full 110 minutes of regulation and overtime. Marking the Spartans' talented forward Laura Heyboer, Stanczyk was able to hold the dangerous striker to no shots.

Still, as much as Stanczyk was told that Michigan State was just another game, playing in her final outing of this rivalry took on a special meaning for the Grosse Pointe, Michigan native.

“It’s a very passionate rivalry for me,” Stanczyk said. “I’ve been thinking of this game all week, waking up every morning excited to play Michigan State. I know half the team, I played with them before I came to college, so it runs a little deeper than just an in-state rivalry.”

The most dynamic player on the day, however, was Meghan Toohey, who controlled the offense and showed poise in the center of midfield by dictating tempo in a chaotic game. Still, Toohey’s own good play didn’t mitigate her dissatisfaction of a lost victory.

“This is just another step in the beginning of our season that shows us what we can accomplish," Toohey said. "Overall, I am happy that we played so well, it just sucks that we didn’t get the win.”