Maha Clarke, the Bermuda forward, had an assist on Queens University of Charlotte’s only goal in the Royals’ 3-1 defeat by Slippery Rock in Lexington, Virginia, on Monday.

Sophomore Clarke provided the cross from which Kayleigh Lawrence scored to give Queens a 67th-minute consolation goal after The Rock had gone into a 3-0 lead.

The Royals have started the season 0-2 after losing their first game 7-2 at home to Bloomsburg University on Saturday.

Clarke scored one goal in her freshman year in 2016, which was also the Royals field hockey programme’s debut season. Queens went a creditable 9-7 last year, with Clarke’s lone goal being the opener of their 6-0 victory over Newberry College last October.

“We did pretty well, we had a winning record and it was such an amazing experience,” Clarke recently told The Royal Gazette of Queens’ first season last year. “There were so many teams who had programmes going for years and they couldn’t believe we were a first-year team.”

The Royals’ next chance to open their 2017 account comes on Sunday, when they face Kutztown University in Manheim, Pennsylvania. The game starts at 1pm Bermuda time.