MOUNT OLIVE. N.C. - The 12th ranked Queens Royals opened their season by traveling to Mount Olive to face the 15th ranked Trojans, where they fell 9-4. It was Mount Olive's third game of their 2021 season seeing them improve to 3-0.
 
Four different Royals were able to find the back of the net today, each on solo efforts. Austin Leonard and Quinn Tallant both scored in the first quarter while AJ Curtiss and Dylan Boyer added to the Queens total in the third. Kyle Hornik was once again rock solid on the back end tallying 14 saves in the Royals defeat.
 
The Trojans started the game off fast, scoring two goals within two minutes of each other putting the Royals in an early 2-0 hole. Leonard was able to finish a nice dodge and cut Mount Olive's lead in half. It was a high-paced quarter as the Trojans quickly restored their two-goal lead. Tallant brought Queens back within one soon thereafter with a sweet shot coming round the net. With under a minute to go in the quarter, Mount Olive struck again to take a 4-2 lead after one.
 
The second quarter saw both sides make defensive adjustments and see immediate results as only one goal was scored in the quarter. The Royals seldom had quality offensive looks in the second quarter and were unable to crack the Trojans defense. The offense was hampered by the exit of senior captain attackman Kealan Pilon in the first quarter for undisclosed reasons. The Royals were able to slow down Mount Olive in their defensive half and Hornik proved to be a brick wall once again making several big saves to keep the Royals within striking distance. Queens went into the half down 5-2.
 
The second half could not have started off any better for Queens, as spark plug Curtiss was able to cap off a determined full-field effort with a goal. Boyer capitalized on the momentum with a fantastic dodge from behind the net to cut the lead to one. The offensive success was short-lived as Mount Olive scored three straight to end the quarter and take an 8-4 lead into the final quarter.
 
The fourth quarter was eerily similar to that of the second with only one goal being scored as both defenses tightened the clamps. An unassisted effort at the midway mark by the Trojans was the only addition to the score sheet as Mount Olive held on for the victory.
 
Queens had consistent trouble clearing the ball today, successfully doing so 12 of 22 times for a 54-percent success rate. Comparatively, Mount Olive completed 18 of 21 clears for an 85-percent success rate. The Royals also lost the battle on the ground getting doubled by the Trojans 25-12. Queens was also outshot 45-20, only getting 10 of their shots on cage. The Royals were able to muck it up at the face-off X seeing both sides win eight draws, respectively. The Queens Royals were also able to limit their turnovers seeing the team only commit 12 compared to 15 from their opponent.
 
The Royals are back in action next Saturday, February 27 on the road at Newberry. The game is set for a 7 p.m. start.