The crossbar, which had been so kind to the Michigan women's soccer team all weekend long, suddenly became the enemy.

With a 1-1 game deep into the second half, a shot from Indiana's Kristin Arnold from the top of the penalty box sailed over Wolverine senior goalkeeper Megan Tuura and deflected off the crossbar. It bounced right down to Hoosier Christie Kotynski, who casually headed the ball into the empty net for the game-winning goal with just more than 15 minutes left in the match.

After easily dispatching No. 19 Purdue on Friday night 2-0, Michigan missed a golden opportunity to move up in the Big Ten standings with at least a point.

It nullified a weekend where the crossbar had been generous twice.

On Sunday against Indiana (4-0 Big Ten, 7-2-3), the Wolverines fell behind early in the second half, but they fought back and evened up the game on a pretty goal.

Senior striker Judy Coffman floated a corner kick into the middle of the box, where her co-captain, senior midfielder Katelin Spencer, won an air-ball in traffic and headed it over an Indiana defender guarding the left post for the equalizer in the 61st minute.

"(Coffman's) been making beautiful services, it's about time somebody finished one," Spencer said.

In addition to her crosses, Coffman's nifty moves created space for herself and her teammates, including one shot by her that glanced off the outside of the post.

Following a scoreless first half, the Hoosiers jumped on a rare defensive miscue when Arnold got free at the edge of the box and connected on a cross from Ali Brown for the game's first goal at 47:22.

Arnold was problematic for the Wolverines (1-2 Big Ten, 5-5-2 overall) all game long. She almost scored her second goal when she unloaded a bomb from 25 yards out in the 51st minute that clanked off the crossbar, one of the fortuitous bounces Michigan received over the two games.

The loss was a tough pill to swallow for Michigan.

"We played really well, and the team fought hard," sophomore defender Skylar Andrews said.

The Wolverines were frustrated by Indiana's tendency to pack the defensive end and patiently wait for opportunities.

"(Indiana) lives and dies by set pieces," Michigan coach Debbie Rademacher said.

It was a tough end to such a promising weekend. Facing a ranked opponent for the third time in four games, Michigan looked like they were the favored team on Friday night against Purdue (3-1 Big Ten, 10-2-2 overall). The Wolverines dominated every facet of the game and made the Boilermakers look sloppy.

In the ninth minute, junior striker Melissa Dobbyn took a long cross on the right side of the box. She sent a weak ball to the goal that somehow snuck under the legs of Purdue goalkeeper Lauren Mason and went into the back of the net.

The goal sparked the Wolverines to an inspired performance that allowed them to shake off a three-game losing streak.

Junior midfielder Sarah Banco put away the game in the 76th minute. Positioning herself in the center of the penalty box, she softly volleyed a Katie Miler cross over Mason and just inside the right post. It capped off an extremely active night for Banco, in which she consistently generated offensive pressure throughout the game and earned an assist on Dobbyn's goal.

The goal eased nervous feelings among Wolverine faithful, with Purdue just inches from tying the game a few minutes before. Two Purdue players freed up in the box with a cross coming from the left side. Boilermaker Sylvia Forbes headed the cross directly into the crossbar, over a lunging Tuura. With the crossbar saving the Wolverines, Purdue never challenged again.

Tuura was eased into action in her return from injury after missing two games. Her only save of the game occurred with 15 seconds left. But she was quick to deflect credit away.

"It's great having such good defensive backs to keep the ball away and make it easy for me," Tuura said.

This foursome of Andrews, senior Lindsey Cottrell, freshman Amy Klippert and redshirt junior Emily Kalmbach has been instrumental in Tuura conceding only four goals through 10 appearances this season.

Despite a disappointing end to the weekend, Michigan isn't going to hit the panic button.

"We still have seven games left and our goals are certainly still attainable," Rademacher said.

The team hits the road for next weekend, facing less-heralded squads Wisconsin and Northwestern for an opportunity to move up the Big Ten standings.

It hopes the luck can return.