Armed with a set game plan against one of the tougher teams in the country, the University of Hawai'i women's soccer team couldn't pull off the upset, but accomplished what it wanted to.

No. 18 Pepperdine defeated Hawai'i, 2-0, in the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Soccer Classic last night at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium in front of 1,532 fans.

Hawai'i (1-2-0) concludes the tournament against Eastern Michigan (1-1-0) tomorrow at 5 p.m. The Waves (3-0), ranked 18th by Soccer Buzz, play Eastern Michigan tonight at 7.

"We gave them their half of the field, and as they tried to penetrate, we took the ball away," Hawai'i coach Pinsoom Tenzing said. "That's how we wanted to play today. We did not let their strikers play."

He said the team competed well, and should have utilized the game plan against Brigham Young Monday in a 1-0 double-overtime loss. He implemented the style of play after UH temporarily lost its two starting midfielders, Jessica Domingo and Gabrielle Bohlman, to knee injuries.

Waves senior forward Jenna Fodor scored the first goal on a penalty kick in the 21st minute.

Pepperdine was awarded the penalty kick when Fodor was taken down by a Hawai'i player near the top of the penalty box.

The Waves' Lindsey Redlin scored in the 74th minute when she stole the ball about 30 yards out and passed the ball to senior forward Megan Woods, the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Week. Woods returned the ball to Redlin, passing it between two defenders. Redlin took a touch and shot the ball into the middle of the goal.

"That was a tough one, to come here, Hawai'i is a very good team at their home field," Pepperdine coach Tim Ward said.

He said UH had "a good plan. Our midfield had so much time, I don't think they knew what to do with (the ball). I was just telling them to be patient."

In the 57th minute, junior midfielder Adria Campbell took Hawai'i's first shot on goal, when she received a pass from sophomore midfielder Koren Takeyama and shot a low ball into the right corner, but Waves goalkeeper Anna Picarelli dived to stop it.

The Rainbow Wahine kept trying to utilize the long ball to capitalize on the speed of forwards Natasha Kai and Aimee Cohen. UH outshot Pepperdine 14-9 for the match.

Note: Pepperdine freshman Kelsey Baker, the Advertiser's 2005 State Girls Soccer Player of the Year from Punahou, entered in the 79th minute at right defender. It was her collegiate debut.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.