The season that could have been

The women's soccer team doesn't like to reflect on what could have been. But after Sunday's 3-1 win against Kentucky, the Hoosiers (8-9-1) have found it more difficult to avoid wondering what could have been this season.\nIU demolished a Wildcat team that had been ranked in the top 10 this season with an offensive attack that produced a season-high in goals in a half for the Hoosiers. The match was one of the few times this season IU had a majority of its players ready and available to compete. \nWithout having to worry about injuries, coach Joe Kelley was able to use his players to their full abilities, getting a glimpse of what the Hoosiers could have been without the string of bad luck that struck earlier in the season.\n"You don't want to concentrate on health again, but we were healthy (Sunday), and what a good team we are," Kelley said. "It was evident (Sunday) that we're able to put some people in, move some people around. But it was nice to have some people coming off the bench that could play, and it was nice to put some people on the field that even our subs had speed. Looking back throughout the year, we haven't had that luxury."\nJunior midfielder Stacey Peterson said the health factor showed Sunday.\n"It's a plus," she said. "It definitely made a difference out there. I'm disappointed that we didn't get into the (Big Ten) tournament, but I'm glad we ended this way and showed that we could play.\n"We look forward to the spring," she said. "I'm excited for the spring. Too bad (this season) is over."\nSophomore forward Jenny Mann scored the final goal of the 2000 season when she stole a bad pass and beat the Kentucky goalkeeper for the score. The scoring opportunity was a situation Mann said she felt she had been in many times earlier this season but hadn't capitalized on. To Mann, the missed opportunity sums up IU's season.\n"All season I have missed those shots, so I was pretty excited when I put it in," Mann said. "We just never got good breaks. We finally got it to go our way for once."\nMann said she finds it frustrating there aren't any games left when the Hoosiers know they could perform with the nation's elite.\n"We just couldn't get it on the right track," Mann said. "It's rough that we're not in the Big Tens because we're definitely one of the better teams. If this game would have been five games ago, we'd probably still be playing."\nKelley said the Hoosiers' composure during the tough times allowed them to show their genuine skill Sunday.\n"It was hard going through the times that we've had, but they stayed positive and they kept working hard and it payed off (Sunday)," Kelley said. "They took a team that is probably going to the NCAA tournament probably, a top 20 team, and totally demolished them. We did that to Wisconsin, Minnesota, (but) we just scored goals (Sunday)."\nSenior goalkeeper Chrissy Heubi found Sunday's performance a hard pill to swallow considering Sunday's match was her final game as a Hoosier.\n"I think it's kind of hard because the first half was the best we have ever played," Heubi said. "I think it just closes the season, showing that we are a good team, our luck just didn't fall. Even though this season doesn't look good on paper and we didn't produce much, I think we proved to ourselves that we're good soccer players and that we can play as a team"