It was a classic case of outplaying your opponent but falling just a little too short.

Yesterday in East Lansing, as the Michigan men's soccer team dominated the Spartans but lost the battle for the Big Bear Trophy 2-1.

“Overall, you tend to be a little disheartened by a loss like this to a big in-state rival,” Michigan coach Steve Burns said. “We felt like this is a recurring theme for our team where we feel like we’re the aggressor, we feel like we’re the better team, but we’re not getting the wins.”

Late in the second half with the score tied 1-1, it appeared that senior forward Mauro Fuzetti might change the story's ending. In a bizarre sequence of events, Fuzetti shrugged off a blow to the face from a Spartan defender before slicing through Michigan State’s back line.

He ripped a shot into the net, but the referee negated the goal after spotting blood on Fuzetti’s upper lip. Under such scenarios, the official normally waits for a neutral possession to blow the play dead.

“I think that kind of showed that it wasn’t going our way,” Burns said. “I’ve never seen a call like that, and I don’t know why he would make a call like that.”

Regardless of the questionable call, the Wolverines (1-3 Big Ten, 9-5-1 overall) had numerous opportunities to close out Michigan State (2-3 Big Ten, 9-4-1 overall). The Wolverines outshot the Spartans 19-7 and controlled the possession battle, but repeatedly failed to execute.

Twice, the Wolverines sent shots past junior goalkeeper Avery Steinlage that were cleared by Spartan defenders as the ball approached the goal line. Junior forward Matt Schmitt netted the team's lone goal, his first score of the season.

“We were lacking the killer instinct when the game was turning,” fifth-year senior captain Daniel Gray said. “We don’t have anyone that pushes the pace and seals the deal when the time is right.”

After starting the season 7-1, the Wolverines have won just two of their past six games and need victories over Northwestern and at Ohio State in the next two weeks to even be considered for an at-large bid to next month's NCAA tournament.

The Wolverines received a season-high seven cards for misconduct throughout yesterday's match, a byproduct of aggressive play and a whistle-happy referee. Junior and senior defenders Adam Keller and Chase Tennant were both ejected from the game, leaving reserves to fill the left side of the defense. Each will serve a one-game suspension when the Wolverines face Northwestern next Sunday.

Michigan will also face the Wildcats without junior defender Jeff Quijano, who left the game on crutches after injuring his ankle. Without those three starting defenders, the shorthanded Wolverines will be forced to resort to a more conservative strategy.

“With new players in the back, there’s a relationship that all of your backs need to have with one another and there’s a trust,” Burns said. “It takes a while to develop that trust. We won’t take as many chances moving forward with our wide players getting involved in the attack. We’ll probably hold those guys at home and focus on being a strong defense in the back half of the field.”