For much of the first half, it seemed like the Michigan men’s soccer team could pull off an upset. It was aggressive and poised, and the back line held.

But as full time was called, the Wolverines were left with an all too familiar result: a one-goal loss.

On Saturday night at the U-M Soccer Stadium, Michigan lost 1-0 to Northwestern. It was the Wolverines’ third straight loss. The only goal of the game came in the 83rd minute when Wildcat midfielder Chris Ritter chipped the ball past the crowded Wolverine back line and redshirt junior goalkeeper Tim Bergsma on a right-flank cross.

It was the 13th game this season in which the Wolverines lost by a single goal.

“I wish I could put my finger on (why we came up short),” said Michigan coach Steve Burns. “I know that we don’t have prolific goal-scorers, and with that, we need to play high-percentage soccer.”

Michigan (1-5 Big Ten, 5-13-1 overall) paled in comparison to Northwestern in terms of shots on goal, tallying only two against Northwestern’s six.

On a night during which the few seniors on Michigan’s roster were honored with their parents, they were sent off in cold fashion in their last regular-season game. However, the underclassmen-heavy lineup that took the field Saturday showed flashes of brilliance, highlighted by their offensive burst the first half. Sophomore forward Ezekiel Harris posted a shot on goal in the 33rd minute of the first half, and the Wolverines pressed the Wildcats (4-0-2, 10-4-4).

“In today’s game we were pushing forwards,” Burns said. “We changed our shape into a 4-4-2 (attacking formation, but Northwestern) sensed when mistakes were made … and that’s just the sign of a good team that understands soccer.”

Michigan had no corner kicks and committed eight fouls, compared to Northwestern’s four corner kicks and three fouls. Even tallying one corner kick would have greatly increased the chances for the Wolverines to equalize or lead, but Michigan fell flat again. The lack of offensive power was largely balanced by the Wolverines’ solid defensive line, headed by senior Jarrett Kerr and Bergsma, who tallied a total of five saves.

“Defensively, I think we did a good job against their attack,” Burns said. “We had to disrupt the player that was up front for them … in terms of their ability to collect the ball, and I thought we did a decent job at that all game long.”

Decent until the 83rd minute, that is. With this win, the Wildcats were able to claim their Big Ten Title, and secure the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which will be played in Ann Arbor next week. Michigan will enter the tournament as the No. 6 seed, having automatically qualified due to hosting the tournament, and will face third-seeded Wisconsin. Next week, the Wolverines can throw out struggling record that they posted during the regular season.

“Right now, it’s a three-game season,” Burns said. “The only way we advance to meet one of our team goals, making the NCAA Tournament, is to win three games here at home in front of our fans.”