In seven years, it never happened.

In nine tries, it remained elusive.

In the history of the program, the Michigan men's soccer team has never defeated Indiana.

Yesterday in Bloomington, the Wolverines' winless streak against the Hoosiers continued. But for the first time, it was Indiana who failed to tally a "W" against Michigan.

After two overtime periods, the game ended in a 2-2 tie.

"After the game, you could see a couple of smiles on the guys' faces because getting a tie on the road against a good team will help us in the end," Michigan coach Steve Burns said. "But at the same time, a lot of guys were unhappy because of the will to win that we've got right now and the belief that we are going to win."

From the opening minutes of the first half, Michigan (0-1-1 Big Ten, 5-4-1 overall) looked to be on its way to a historic victory.

After an Indiana foul inside the 18-yard box in the fourth minute of play, sophomore Michael Holody took a penalty kick for Michigan. As the go-to player for penalty shots, Holody got the job done and converted, giving Michigan an early 1-0 lead.

"Mike has real good recognition of what the goalie is going to do," Burns said. "He is real solid when it comes to penalty shots."

Following the early goal, Michigan rode the wave of confidence to widen its lead against the Hoosiers (0-0-1, 4-3-2). At 18:10, senior Kevin Hall ran behind Indiana's defense and received a pass from freshman Peri Marosevic. From about four yards out, the co-captain's shot found the lower right portion of the net to give Michigan a 2-0 advantage. Burns said that the goal was set up by touches from at least four different players, testifying to a great team effort.

"The ball movement almost mesmerized the defenders, who couldn't keep up with the play," Burns said. "That's what we call 'good soccer.' "

In the 23rd minute of the game, Michigan had a golden opportunity to earn a third goal. Sophomore Jake Stacy got a serve from sophomore Steve Bonnell on the right side of the field. Getting in behind the Indiana defenders, Stacy entered a scrum with the goalkeeper and several other players. The forward found the ball, turned 90 degrees and struck a solid shot with his left foot, but the ball hit the post and went out-of-bounds.

Taking advantage of Michigan's missed chance to score again, Indiana rebounded. In the 33rd minute, the Hoosiers' Kevin Robson earned a penalty kick after a Michigan foul. The infraction proved costly for the Wolverines - as Robson nailed the shot to put Indiana on the board.

Heading into the second half with a 2-1 lead, Michigan was just 45 minutes away from achieving its Holy Grail.

But at 67:18, the Hoosiers woke up the Wolverines from their dreams of victory. Once again, Robson provided the dagger, sinking a shot into the upper right corner of Michigan's net from 25 yards out.

Burns said that despite the two Indiana tallies, Michigan goalkeeper Patrick Sperry had a notable performance.

"Both of the goals that Indiana scored . any goalie wouldn't be able to stop," Burns said. "Sperry's angles were great, he covered all the right spots, made everything look easy and was very sure-handed."

With the score dead even at two at the end of regulation, the game was sent into overtime. After 10 minutes elapsed with no score, the game went into a second extended period.

Despite Michigan out-shooting Indiana in overtime, 8-3, and demonstrating a higher level of physical and mental fitness than the Hoosiers, the Wolverines just couldn't find the back of the net. With three seconds remaining in the second overtime period, Holody shot a full volley from 20 yards out that missed going in the net by about a foot and a half.

Eighteen inches. That's all that stood between Michigan and victory.

But earning a tie against Indiana - a nationally recognized program that boasts seven all-time NCAA Championships (second only to St. Louis's 10) - is a feat to be celebrated for a young Michigan team looking to make a run in the Big Ten.

"Overall, this year more than any other year, the Big Ten is really up for grabs," Burns said. "In (yesterday's) Big Ten opener for Indiana, we snubbed them with a tie. . The Big Ten will be determined by if you can get a point on the road. . This puts us in a good position for the rest of the Big Ten season."