The University of Hawai'i women's soccer team lost more than a game last night.

In a 2-1 loss to Utah State in a Western Athletic Conference game at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium, the Rainbow Wahine (8-7-2, 2-2-0) also lost defensive speedster Lehua Wood, and most likely their chances to defend the regular-season WAC crown.

"This spoils our chance of winning the WAC," Hawai'i coach Pinsoom Tenzing said. "And that's really saddening. But again, anything can happen."

Tenzing called Wood "the heart and soul" of the defense.

Wood's right knee was wrapped after the game, and she said she was scheduled to have an MRI.

The game, originally scheduled for Sunday, was postponed after Sunday's earthquake and ensuing power outage.

Defensive mistakes led to both Utah State (7-7-1, 2-0-1) goals, by Charity Weston and Dana Peart, who scored with 1 minute, 42 seconds left in the game.

"Defense makes an error, they give up a goal. Offense makes an error and it just comes back (up the field)," said UH junior midfielder Jessica Domingo, the team's captain. "It's just the nature of the game. It's not as much a defensive error as it was a team error."

Although Domingo acknowledged the regular-season title was one of the team's goals, she said "it doesn't matter. You have to win the (WAC) tournament" to receive an automatic NCAA berth. But it does mean the Rainbow Wahine's next three games against San Jose State, Nevada and Fresno State are "three really big games. We need to end on a good note."

Weston scored in the 66th minute after Tehane Higa dropped the ball back to Shawn Higa, who tried to switch the field by dribbling in the opposite direction. Weston stole the ball in the penalty box and shot low into the right corner past a diving Kori Lu.

Peart scored after she chased down a long ball from Charlsie Harris that isolated Peart with Tehane Higa and Lu. With Higa and Peart in a footrace, Lu came out to the edge of the box to try to make the save and Peart headed the ball over Lu and into the empty goal.

"I think the last one was a lack of understanding of where the ball was," Tenzing said.

Utah State coach Heather Cairns switched Peart from midfield to forward in the second half because "she's our fastest player. If she couldn't do it, no one could."

"We like to play possession, and they outpossessed out," Cairns added. "We were trying to get the ball to the withdrawn forward, and that was the only time we did it in the half, and it paid off."

Sophomore midfielder Kelli-Anne Chang tied the game at 1 in the 71st minute on a header from a cross by sophomore midfielder Alexis Choi.

The play started with junior defender Koren Takeyama, who celebrated her 21st birthday yesterday. Takeyama dribbled up the field and passed to sophomore forward Taryn Fukuroku. Fukuroku sent the ball wide to the left for Choi, who crossed a floating ball to the far right post for Chang to head into the goal.

"It was a terrific goal. She always scores the crucial goals for us," Tenzing said of Chang, who scored her second goal in two games. "We've been working hard on getting them wide all season long."

For the second straight game, a Hawai'i starter was taken out of the game because of an injury. Wood went down in the 59th minute. Freshman forward Ambree Ako sprained her right ankle in Friday's game and did not play last night. UH also played without defender Kelly McCloskey, who has an injured right knee.

"We're a finely tuned team, and the kids have learned to play with each other," Tenzing said. "(Injuries) disturb the momentum and cohesion."

Hawai'i's plays its final home game Sunday against San Jose State. McCloskey and Brittney Aiwohi will be honored on "Senior Night."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.