After losing all but one defensive starter from last season and starting three underclassmen in the back, undefeated Leesville Road was due for a bad stretch at some point. The question was, how long would it last?

The answer came Thursday night, and senior sweeper Sarah Floyd couldn't have been happier.

After allowing Apex to control possession most of the first half, Leesville Road's young defense clamped down on the visiting Cougars in the second, forcing a 0-0 tie in a battle between the top two ranked teams in the state.

"The new kids have really stepped up. They really like to put the effort in, and they're good workers," Floyd said. "I'm so proud."

Despite giving up just one goal in its first six games, Leesville Road still had plenty to prove Thursday night. Facing its toughest opponent of the season in Apex, the Pride slowly advanced on its learning curve after every near-goal by Apex

First, Megan Porier missed wide from the left side 11 minutes into the first half. Four minutes later, Christy Steger's shot flew over the crossbar. Then Paige Reckert missed over the crossbar again in the 22nd minute.

But the Pride's defense didn't break.

"We had our opportunities, and they had a couple good ones, too," Apex coach Kevin Todd said. "But we didn't capitalize when we had the chance."

Leesville learned from its early mistakes in the second half. Ann Cushman, Nicole Park, Michelle Goto and Abby Davis started to find their marks, clear the ball and - most importantly - rise to the level of the matchup.

"They're coming on. They need games like this," Leesville Road coach Paul Dinkenor said. "They could've panicked at the half, but I thought they took their game up and, playing on our home field, really showed up in the second half."

Leesville Road had five shots on goal after halftime and several more scoring chances.

Forward Stephanie Bronson had two good looks from just outside the penalty area in the final 10 minutes, but the Apex defense stepped up. Goalkeeper Heather Muller kept the Cougars unbeaten with a big second half and five key saves

"This team is going to test you to the max," Todd said. "When you play this team, you can see where you stand. We know we can hold our own, competitively speaking. That bodes well for our confidence."