Shot for shot and corner for corner, the Michigan field hockey team was neck and neck with No. 3 Connecticut. The 15th-ranked Wolverines (2-4) had 16 shots to Connecticut's 15 and seven corners to the Huskies' eight.

Michigan was closer to pulling off the upset than the pancake-flat turf is to the ground.

But the 3-1 loss is just one in a string of "We were-this-close" losses for the Wolverines.

"We're right there with the best teams in the country," Michigan coach Nancy Cox said. "We're seeing tremendous growth, but now we've got to quickly get through the growth period and we got to finish (opportunities)."

Cox referred to the team's recent defeats against No. 1 Maryland, then-No. 2 Wake Forest and No. 2 North Carolina - and Michigan's inability to close on scoring chances against top competition.

The only top-10 competition the Wolverines have beaten is No. 9 Old Dominion, who also lost to Connecticut this weekend. Michigan defeated the Monarchs 4-3 on Friday, out-shooting them by five goals, out-cornering them 8-4 and most important, putting the ball on goal when they should.

"It's the little details that matter," senior co-captain Lucia Belassi said. "I believe if we actually finish and put the ball on the net in the next couple games, we'll get it going for the next games, and especially at the end when it matters."

In particular, the Wolverines are struggling with breakaway opportunities and moving the ball up field.

"Right now, our forwards and our midfielders are struggling with getting their eyes off the ball and up the field because we had numerous three-on-one opportunities but didn't pass the ball soon enough and allowed their defenders back in the play," Cox said

Michigan also failed to meet their corner-conversion-rate goal of 25 percent. The team's lone goal came 12 minutes into the game with Belassi (two goals and two assists on the weekend) nailing the score from just inside the top of the circle.

Despite the disappointment of just missing upset opportunities, Michigan is making significant improvements as the Big Ten season approaches.

Before Friday's Old Dominion game, the Wolverines had mustered just one first-period goal and 18 first-period shots in their first four games.

They're a much more balanced team now from half to half, which was a goal of theirs this past week. Michigan scored four first-period goals off of 15 shots the past two games. The team also tripled its penalty corners on the season.

"We were sort of getting the reputation of being a second-half team," fifth-year senior co-captain Kristen Tiner said. "I think this first half we came out and matched them and came out stronger than we have in other games."

Belassi added: "We still have to figure out how to finish and score some goals before the other team does, but other than that, I think we're getting better at starting from the get-go."