THE only thing more startling than the high standard Far North Queensland men's premier soccer match between Edge Hill and Leichhardt on Saturday night was that it finished scoreless.

Incredibly, in a match which featured bountiful sparkling attack from both sides, it was defence which gained the ascendency with the goal at both ends remaining unbreached.

The pace of the game was unrelenting with both teams going almost as hard in the final 20 minutes as they were in the opening exchanges.

Both teams had their chances in the first half but Leichhardt had the best chance when, moments before halftime, Glen Hurney drilled a shot at goal only for it to be headed off the line by the Saints' Dave Issott.

The Lions' best scoring opportunity came with 15 minutes of the match remaining when Conrad Verivis struck a full-blooded shot but was denied by Edge Hill goalkeeper Sam Ferguson.

Sweeping defenders Peter Clarke (Leichhardt) and Robert Wales (Edge Hill) were superb in marshalling their respective defensive forces while goalkeepers Craig Kello (Leichhardt) and Ferguson were also outstanding.

Former Mareeba Bull Pasco Rogato is finding his feet at his new club, sparking much of the Lions’ attack along with energetic midfielder Chris Wheeler.

Joe Battle and Blake Cremer were at the heart of most of Saints' attack with Kurtis Cowls and Chris Amerio impressive in defence.

Leichhardt coach Martin Docherty said the 0-0 scoreline indicated how evenly matched the teams had been.

"A couple of years ago, we could have lost that 1-0 at the end so I was happy to come away with the point," he said.

"We wanted to play it tight at the back and create our chances up front and we did that."

Edge Hill coach Eric Thompson said the game had been an exciting battle of tactics and, despite acknowledging some difficulty in getting the ball from the midfield to the forward line, praised his players’ efforts.

"We worked on certain aspects of the game at training and it was pleasing that the people involved listened and acted accordingly," he said.

"Our defence was brilliant but we still have plenty of room for improvement."

Meanwhile, defending champion Marlin Coast claimed its first scalp of the season with a 3-1 home victory over Stratford on Saturday night, including a double to Joe Rusch.

Innisfail made it two wins from as many starts with a 3-0 win over Douglas at Innisfail yesterday.

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