RALEIGH — The Nos. 2 and 3 rankings Broughton and Apex brought into their Thursday meeting at the Raleigh school made it easy to understand why the Wake County rivals are fit to be tied.

They were 0-0 after 80 minutes to a finish that handed the Cougars’ their third tie through six matches this spring.

Never has Apex had so many draws so early since the school’s first appearance in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A state final in 2002.

The reigning state champion Cougars lost a considerable chunk of last season’s scoring offense to graduation.

“We just haven’t been able to get the chemistry that we need to make those goals happen,” Apex coach Kevin Todd said. “We didn’t test the keeper, really. She was comfortable back there the whole time.”

The Cougars, who handed the unbeaten Capitals their first tie in seven contests, spent the majority of the game in the Broughton attacking zone and generated several quality crosses.

Defensively, Apex yielded just two shots on goal before intermission.

“That’s why you schedule matches like this — to compete against some of the state’s best,” Broughton coach Izzy Hernandez said. “If anything from last year, they’re a different team. They definitely didn’t give us much either, then.”

The Cougars’ last regular season win against the Capitals was in 2002, a 2-1 result at Broughton.

The teams tied 1-1 on a neutral field last season before Apex prevailed 3-0 in the state playoffs’ third round — the schools’ seventh postseason meeting in as many campaigns.