RALEIGH — After a sluggish and scoreless start from both teams, Athens Drive used two second-half goals to upset No. 4 Apex 2-0 on Wednesday night.

Although Athens controlled possession for three-fourths of the first half, it had just one shot on goal to show for it. Apex was just as quiet, managing just three shots on goal, all coming within one minute of the others.

The scoreless action ended with 29:35 left in the second period as junior Andrew Joyce let rip on a free kick that sailed into the upper right corner of the net from 45 yards out.

On a night where no shot from any distance had been put away, Joyce’s long-range shot in the steady rain caught Apex off-guard.

“It was wet so I thought ‘why not?’” Joyce said. “Even if it’s on-target we’ll at least get the rebound chance.”

After giving his team a 1-0 advantage, Joyce said he could see the difference in the way his team approached the rest of the game.

“I think it was a real big confidence-booster because lately, we haven’t been the best goal-scoring team,” Joyce said. “We’ve always played good against good teams but we’ve trouble scoring goals and I thought that really boosted our confidence to push forward and try to get that second goal. It lifted the whole team.”

Senior Ali Asad gave the Jags some breathing room with 18:04 left, as he punched home a cross from sophomore Sam Matthews to take a 2-0 lead.

“We switched the ball very well. We played it outside to Matthews and he crossed it in,” Asad said. “I just followed the ball and made it go in.”

The Jaguars (7-2-1, 4-2-1), listed as just outside the state’s top 15, improved to a three-way tie for third in the Tri-Nine Conference with Apex (7-3-0, 4-2-0) and Fuquay-Varina, whom the Jags lost to on Monday night 1-0.

“It feels good,” senior co-captain Matt Erasmus said. “I think at Fuquay we dominated but couldn’t score so it feels good to finally get a win where we held the lead for about 20 minutes.”

Athens had not defeated a ranked team this season, tying Broughton after allowing a goal with 17 seconds to play, and giving up two own goals to Middle Creek. But Travis Seese’s team also has yet to drop a game at home this year.

“As we continue to play well in our home matches, and start playing that well away also, it’s going to be interesting,” coach Travis Seese.

Apex was forced to play with a man down after senior Aurturo Alvan was sent off with 9:11 to play. It was one of several visual signs of Apex players becoming frustrated by Athens’ physical play.

But for Jags’ seniors like Asad, it was a game that had been a career in the making.

“We started out very physical,” Asad said. “We wanted it more than them — I don’t think we had beaten them in the last four years.”

Athens is idle today after originally scheduled to play at Wake Forest-Rolesville. That game is postponed after Rolesville needed to reschedule their game against Millbrook, which was canceled due to Wednesday’s weather.