LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Appalachian State University field hockey had its hands full for the 2015 season opener with a trip to No. 12 ranked Louisville and the Cardinals' offense proved to be too much to handle as the Mountaineers dropped an 8-1 decision inside Trager Stadium.

"Louisville was a really fast, skilled and well-coached team," said head coach Meghan Dawson after her first regular season match as a Division I head coach.

The home team wasted no time getting on the board with a goal from the top of the circle just one minute and 14 seconds into the match. Louisville would go on to score five unanswered goals in the first 35 minutes thanks to 16 shots while the Apps were unable to get a shot off.

The Cardinals scored two more times to begin the second period to make it 7-0 before captain Jordan Van Cleave converted one of App State's two total shots. The attempt came at the 9:50 mark on Appalachian State's only corner of the match and Van Cleave was assisted by Taylor Cimbalist. That made the score 7-1 before the hosts added another with under five minutes to play.

Overall, Louisville outshot the Mountaineers 27-2 and held a 17-1 advantage in corners. In goal, Cristina Ceppi played all 70 minutes with 13 saves. The Apps' other shot came from Hanna French while each of the Cardinals' goals were scored by a different person.

"We are lucky to have played them, because we got the opportunity to play such a great team," said Dawson. "We still saw some good moments on the field, but also some areas for major improvements."

App State will have an off day in Louisville on Saturday before taking on Missouri State on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.