After scoring his first career goal Sunday afternoon, defender Brett St. Martin ran toward the corner flag and slid across the rain-drenched grass on both knees.

Defender Donovan Pines’ initial header bounced once off the ground and another time off the crossbar. But then the ball fell perfectly to St. Martin’s right foot, and he converted the opportunity, giving Maryland a late equalizer with only 12 minutes remaining in regulation.

His teammates swarmed him in the corner, celebrating what appeared to be another momentum-building moment late in the team’s regular season. But after working so hard to earn the game-tying goal, Maryland watched Wolverines score on their first shot of overtime.

“We thought that we played well,” St. Martin said. “We responded in the second half and were unfortunate to get an unlucky bounce, and it fell their way.”

[Read more: Maryland men’s soccer concedes 33 seconds into OT and loses to Michigan, 2-1]

Ever since a late-game disaster against Indiana on Oct. 12, the Terps have thrived dealing with adversity and finishing the job in must-win games.

The team held onto a one-goal lead over then-No. 7 Denver in the next game, preventing another late letdown. And rather than letting Ohio State stick around three days later, the Terps hung a season-high five goals on the Buckeyes in a shutout win.

Even when the Terps did suffer setbacks, they didn’t give in. After the pair of goals Penn State scored on Tuesday to recover from a 2-0 deficit, Maryland pulled out its second overtime win of the season.

[Read more: With Paul Bin ailing, Vinicius Lansade came through for Maryland soccer vs. Penn State]

But in Ann Arbor on Sunday, the Terps couldn’t maintain their recent positive trend in a game that would’ve clinched a Big Ten quarterfinals home game.

“Something you have in soccer is mental moments and it’s something we’ve lost this season a little bit,” midfielder Andrew Samuels said. “We need to get stronger in those moments and figure out how we can be on the better side of them, winning them rather than losing them.”

Michigan took the lead on an own goal in the 34th minute, allowing them to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.

But Maryland fought in the second half, outshooting Michigan 8-3 on its home field. Samuels has seen the Terps play some of their best offense this season when trailing by a goal.

“When we’re down 1-0, we play with a different mindset,” Samuels said. “We have to change our style of play to come out with that mindset and from the first whistle act like we’re down 1-0 to start playing to our full potential from the beginning rather than waiting until we’re down a goal and playing catch up.”

Maryland’s comeback effort started with a goal-line clearance from defender Matt Di Rosa, which stymied a game-cementing second goal three minutes into the second period.

Di Rosa sprinted from Michigan’s side of the field all the way to inside his own team’s six-yard box, fending off a four-on-two mismatch in transition by sliding and deflecting the potential 2-0 lead for Michigan.

“For Matty to make a full-field sprint and get back like that really shows the determination that we have on our team,” St. Martin said. “And how every one of us will fight for each other.”

The defensive effort kept Maryland’s hopes alive, as the team patiently waited for a score that would neutralize the own goal. It finally came in the 78th minute. But it wasn’t enough to topple the Wolverines.

Maryland entered its seventh overtime of the season, well-versed in the extra energy and mental strength the extra period requires. But it wouldn’t last long. Just 33 seconds elapsed before Michigan scored the goal that’ll send the Terps back on the road in the Big Ten tournament next weekend.

The Terps were gaining steam late in the season, a win would’ve given them four straight wins to end the regular season. The tough loss Sunday will make extending its season past next weekend against Michigan State more difficult.

“We’ve been playing really well,” St. Martin said. “One unlucky bounce cost us the game and we’re going to move on from it and we’ll play against next week.”