BANGOR – Andrew Kirby played less than a minute in Thursday’s Bangor-Ellsworth boys soccer matchup, but it was a productive couple of seconds.

Kirby, an Ellsworth senior, came off the bench and scored the tying goal for the Eagles. Immediately, Ellsworth coach Brian Higgins pulled him out.

“He came in, the [pass] came, he scored, and I took him out so the guys could all slap him on the back,” Higgins said.

Kirby was the big hero for the Eagles, who emerged from the hard-played and at times heated game with a 1-1 tie through two overtime periods at the high school field.

Higgins was pleased with how they played against the Rams, who go to 5-1-1. Ellsworth pressured the ball and didn’t let Bangor keep possession for long.

“We just seemed to keep them off their game,” he said. “The balls weren’t going in, but we couldn’t ask for any more. … It was a tie, but we scored from the field and they didn’t.”

Kirby came into the game at the right time for Ellsworth (4-2-1). Two of Bangor’s starting fullbacks went to the bench with yellow cards.

“We had two of our best defenders on the bench when they scored,” Bangor coach Adam Leach said. “I have a good bench, but there’s a reason they’re starting. If they’re on the bench, my hands are tied.”

The play started when Ellsworth’s Matt Wood had a throw-in from the right sideline with 25:19 left in regulation. Matt Burns skimmed the ball with his head and it popped to Kirby at the far post. He shot it in past Bangor goalie Payson Nichols.

“We just set up as a corner [kick] every time, and that’s all I was doing, standing at the far post and the ball came through,” Kirby said.

Nichols played a stellar game in goal despite the goal. He made 10 saves on 15 shots and faced four Ellsworth corner kicks in the first three minutes of the game.

“On all their set plays, they do the same thing, and it works for them, but if you mark up well, you’re OK, and we marked up really well,” Nichols said.

Ryan Jeffrey put in Bangor’s goal off a direct kick from outside the 18-yard line with 17:32 to go in the first half.

Ellsworth defender Chad Curtis tailed Jeffrey for much of the game.

“He got away some, but he never really schemed like they would like him to,” Higgins said. “Our backs did a great job.”

Ellsworth’s Noah Brown made two saves on 10 shots.

The Rams had an opportunity in the first overtime when Jeffrey passed the ball to an open Bret Mitchell at the right post, but Mitchell shot the ball wide of the goal.