AUBURN – J.J. Musse was open.

He knew it, and he knew time was running out in regulation Saturday. He also knew there wasn’t much he could do without the ball. He watched teammate Showbow Saban maneuver toward the net and waited for his chance.

“I was just screaming ‘Showbow, Showbow, you got me,’ said Musse, the senior midfielder. “He passed it, and I got the score.”

Musse’s goal with eight seconds left in regulation dashed Edward Little’s hopes for victory. The two rivals settled for a 1-1 tie.

“We just didn’t give up,” said Lewiston coach Mike McGraw. “We were persistent. They capitalized on the one break that we gave them. I was satisfied with the level of play for both teams. It was a great game. It was a great game to be involved in.”

It was shaping up to be a significant win for the Red Eddies (3-0-2). EL was already without starters Steven Giorgetti and Tim Brodsky and then Jeremy Theriault was injured in the first half and didn’t play the entire second half and overtime. Forward Tim Mains was also making his regular-season debut after being cleared to play this week following a concussion.

“I’m pretty proud of the team,” said EL coach Dave Morin. “With what we didn’t have during the game and what we lost during the game, some kids stepped up. We knew we had to have a kid or two step up, and we had five or six kids step up. They just played unbelievable.”

One of those players was Clark Chamberlin, who had to fill in for Theriault on defense after he left the game with an injury. EL was concerned with combating Lewiston’s speed, but the Red Eddies managed a solid defensive job against the Blue Devils’ front line.

“Clark going back there, it’s the first time he’s been thrown back there since we lost Jeremy for five games last year,” said Morin. “It’s one thing to lose him and know you’re going into a game without him, but it’s another thing to all of sudden be without him.”

After an even first half, both teams had opportunities early in the second. J.J. Jackson had a header off a Branden Lever corner kick for EL and Nate Blais had a shot from the right side. A Lewiston corner kick led to a threat that was blocked by an EL defender and cleared out.

“EL played a great game defensively,” said McGraw. “Each team matched each other’s attack. Each team had a good go at each other. It was fair and the play was clean. I’m satisfied with a tie but happy that they played as hard as they did.”

EL got the go-ahead goal with 21:01 left in regulation. Lever’s corner kick was headed in by Mains.

“I thought our goal was pretty good execution,” said Morin. “This is his first regular-season game back. That helped with missing Brodsky and Giorgetti and then Jeremy.”

Lewiston (3-1-1) put on pressure down the stretch. Saban had a shot off a dead ball that went over the net. Kurtis Stocker had a bid broken up by EL keeper Ian Dollen-Oliveto. Curtis Robinson fired a shot from the outside that sailed toward the top of the net but went over, and Musse had a try off a corner but couldn’t settle it for a quality shot.

EL had done a decent job clearing the ball out and keeping Lewiston at bay in the final minutes, but one deep rush had Saban in the corner and Musse alone in front.

“The goalie was watching Showbow, and he just tipped it to me,” said Musse.

EL had the best of the chances in overtime. Mains had a header off a Blais cross, and Jackson had a shot that Mains just missed a chance to tip on goal.

“I thought the team showed a lot of character when (Lewiston) scored late and had all the momentum in the world,” said Morin. “I thought we played pretty well in overtime.”