That's all the time Zac Tigner needed to warm up the crisp autumn air, scoring the first of his two goals in leading the Cougars to a 4-0 victory over Clayton in the opening round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A soccer tournament.

Tigner added a second goal midway through the second period for the 4-0 final margin in matching the two-goal effort of Michael Smith.

Smith scored twice in a 90-second span late in the first half, notching his goals in the 26th and 27th minutes as the Cougars took a 3-0 halftime lead.

Apex, the No. 3 seed from the Tri-8 Conference, improved to 14-4-2 overall and will travel to Durham Jordan (20-2-2), the champion of the PAC-6 Conference Saturday.