University of Louisville women's lacrosse could not overcome No. 9 Denver and dropped a 15-6 decision in its home opener on Saturday afternoon. With the loss, Louisville falls to 1-1 on the season, while Denver improves to 2-0. "Denver's a top-10 team for a reason. I think the big difference was that they made us pay for our mistakes," said head coach Scott Teeter. "We battled through the first half. Defensively we played okay, but we need to simplify and stick to our systems." Denver got on the scoreboard first, but back-to-back goals from Shayla Scanlan and Ally Hall less than a minute apart gave the Cardinals a quick 2-1 lead. Paige Richbourg tied the game at three apiece with 13:48 left during the first half, but a 4-0 run gave the Pioneers a 7-3 advantage at the break. Caroline Blalock opened second-half scoring to put the Cardinals within three, but the Pioneers extended their lead with five unanswered goals. Alex McNicholas tallied a goal and Blalock scored again late in the second half, but UofL ultimately fell to Denver, 15-6. Louisville controlled the draw in the first half, as they finished the first stanza with eight draws to Denver's three and ultimately won the draw control battle for the game, 13-10. Despite being very successful on the draw, the Cardinals committed 23 turnovers and were outshot, 34-21, in the loss. Blalock led the Cardinals with four points on two goals and two assists, while McNicholas registered a goal and an assist for two points. Goalkeeper Rachel Florek finished the game with 13 saves. Louisville is back in action on Monday, Feb. 17 as they welcome Marquette to UofL Lacrosse Stadium at 1 p.m. For the latest information on Louisville lacrosse, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Twitter account at @LouisvilleLax or on Facebook at facebook.com/UofLLacrosse.