SLIPPERY ROCK, N.Y. - In a bizarre game that featured a two-hour weather delay, a switching of venues after the game had started, the issuing of several yellow and red cards to both teams, the Daemen College men's soccer team came out on the short end of a 2-0 decision in their 2015 season opener today, falling to host Slippery Rock University.

With the win, SRU improved to 2-0 on the young season.  The game today marked the second-straight year in which The Rock and the Wildcats have done battle in a tightly-contested bout.  The Rock came out on top in last year's matchup at Dimp Wagner Stadium, 2-1, when they broke a 1-1 tie with just 8:17 left in regulation time.

Today, it was SRU's Ryan Lutke who scored on a penalty kick after more than 75 minutes of scoreless action, putting the hosts on top with a lead they would not relinquish.

The Rock added an insurance goal from Mike Ilodigwe late in the game to provide the final margin.  Ilodigwe shook free and generated a breakaway situation as the Wildcats were pushing forward looking for the equalizer, putting home his first goal of the season at the 88:44 mark.

The game, which began at 3:30 p.m. at SRU's James Egli Field, was halted just over 10 minutes in when a slow-moving weather system that produced cloud-to-ground lightning moved through the area.  When play resumed more than two hours later, the game had shifted to Mihalik-Thompson Stadium to make use of the stadium lights in the event that any further delay would lengthen the game past daylight hours.

The Wildcats had three shots in the game, two off the foot of junior striker Cole Beale (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg), but could not place one on frame.

Freshman goalkeeper Justin Figler (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) got the start between the pipes, and made six saves in his collegiate debut.

The game today also officially marked the start of the Dan Dolan era for the Daemen men's soccer program.  Dolan, who has coached the Daemen women's soccer team since 2009, assumed the men's head coaching responsibilities earlier this year when Daemen moved to a staffing model common in the East Coast Conference with one coach fulfilling head coaching roles with both teams.

Dolan and the Wildcats make their 2015 home debut on Monday, September 7 when they play host to University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown at Dimp Wagner Stadium.  The Wildcats will be looking for their third-straight win over the Mountain Cats when the game kicks off at 12 p.m.

For continuing coverage on the Daemen men's soccer team throughout the season follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenMSOC on Twitter.