CARY – After 100 minutes of soccer Wednesday evening at Green Hope High School, perhaps the only thing decided was just how closely matched the Falcons and Athens Drive are. Through regulation and two overtime periods neither team could find the net and the game ended exactly as it began – 0-0.

“It was just a matter of two even teams going at it,” Jaguars coach Travis Seese said. “Both teams had opportunities to make something happen, but neither could capitalize.”

Green Hope coach Andrew Chadwick had a similar take.

“Both teams didn’t play their best. Neither was that sharp,” he said. “They had some opportunities that they misplayed. We had some shots we would typically put away but couldn’t. It was not attractive soccer. But both teams have struggled offensively this year and been good defensively, so I guess we got what we expected.”

In a scoreless tie the play of the goalkeepers often becomes the most notable, and that was certainly true in this one.

Green Hope outshot Athens 17-9, but Jags senior goalkeeper Ethan Hall kept the score even by hauling in seven saves, including a diving stop toward the end of regulation.

“Ethan played really well,” Seese said. “He came up big for us on a couple of stops. He played well enough to give us a chance to win. We just didn’t get the result we wanted.”

Falcons keeper James Earle had a relatively quiet first half, but was challenged more in the second half and overtime frames. The senior finished with five saves, including a clutch save of his own in the second 10 minute overtime period.

“James was fantastic,” Chadwick said.

With the tie, Athens moves to 8-2-2 overall and 5-2-1 in Tri-Nine play while Green Hope now sits at 7-2-3 overall and 5-1-2 in the league.

Both teams remain in the thick of a conference race that seems ever tightening. Five teams still remain in the middle of the league title hunt, which is seemingly up for grabs.

Seese saw Wednesday’s scoreless tie as sort of a microcosm of the Tri-Nine’s parity so far this season.

“This game was definitely indicative of the way this conference has been all year,” he said. “Every game seems to be one even matchup after another.”

Next up for the Falcons is Middle Creek, while the Jags step out of league play to face Sanderson.