Illinois women’s soccer began the 2014 season at a record-setting pace, but nagging injuries and offensive inconsistency derailed the Illini’s opportunity for a fifth-straight NCAA tournament appearance.

Illinois’ season began with a 3-1 loss to Notre Dame, but the Illini responded with five straight wins in nonconference play. Five of those wins were by way of shutouts, showcasing Illinois’ vast defensive improvement from the previous season.

The Illini stumbled into conference play, suffering a 2-0 loss to Iowa, but again responded with a winning streak, defeating four straight Big Ten opponents to build a 9-2-0 record midway through the season. This was only the third time in school history the Illini began the season at 9-2-0, and they did it with a suffocating defense that set a school record by holding eight consecutive opponents to single-digit shot attempts.

During their most successful stretch of the season, the Illini’s offense was led by senior forward Jannelle Flaws, who looked determined to improve on her record-setting 2013 season. Following Illinois’ loss to Iowa, Flaws scored multiple goals in four consecutive games — a school record. During that span, Flaws earned National Player of the Week honors and the Illini went 4-0 in Big Ten play.

The Illinois offense began and ended with Flaws, and once she went cold, so did the rest of the team. Flaws couldn’t maintain her rampant scoring pace and scored just three goals in Illinois’ final seven games. The Illini went 1-5-2 in that stretch and barely earned a spot in the Big Ten tournament.

“I think our effort was definitely there, it’s been there the last couple games even though we haven’t won,” Flaws said during the losing streak. “We just really need to focus on our execution.”

The Illini continued to struggle in the Big Ten tournament and were eliminated by Wisconsin in the first round. Following the early exit, Illinois’ season was ended when it wasn’t selected for a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Injuries were a concern all season. Junior midfielder Taylore Peterson missed the entire season with a foot injury, and key players Casey Conine, Kara Marbury, Amy Feher and Aliina Weykamp all missed multiple games with various injuries. The plethora of injuries may have harmed Illinois’ offensive flow the most — forwards and midfielders shuffled around all season.

Even with 2014 NSCAA All-American Flaws possibly returning for a sixth year of eligibility, the Illini will be looking for more scoring options next season. With sophomore goalie Claire Wheatley solidifying herself as the unquestioned starter, a backline that played strong all season and plenty of young contributors, Illinois has a lot to build upon.

“Next time, we’ll be better for the lessons we have learned this season,” head coach Janet Rayfield said. “What we have to hope for now is that they take everything that they’ve learned this season, the heartaches that came along with it, and learn from that and are better when we step on the field next season.”

Joey can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @joeyfigueroa3.