For senior defender Aiden Shaughnessy, three years of patience, resilience and hard work paid off in one magical second for Lincoln-Way East.

Shaughnessy spent three seasons on the junior varsity team. He’s finally getting his chance on the varsity, coming off the bench. But he never lost belief that he could succeed at this level.

“I always wanted to prove myself,” Shaughnessy said. “This is a big moment for me. I’ve always had to earn my spot, especially in my JV years. Now, I’m just trying to earn my coach’s trust.”

Shaughnessy played the hero in literally the final moment of Thursday night’s game.

He scored with less than a second left to stun rival Lincoln-Way Central, a rare buzzer-beater in soccer that lifted the Griffins to a 1-0 SouthWest Suburban Conference win in New Lenox.

Kamden Williams had the assist and Noah Brown made six saves for the shutout for Lincoln-Way East (10-1-2, 1-0). Jimmy McKendry finished with seven saves for the Knights (8-2, 1-1).

A foul gave the Griffins a free kick from 20 yards with just under three seconds to go. Williams sent the ball into the box and Shaughnessy redirected it into the top of the net just before time expired to set off a raucous celebration.

It was the second varsity goal for Shaughnessy, but he looked like someone who had been scoring goals his whole life.

In fact, Shaughnessy was so calm before the big moment that he took time to greet an old friend on the other team.

“There was a defender on me who I know,” Shaughnessy said. “I just said ‘hi’ to him and then I made a run cutting in. Kam played a pass to me underneath the wall, and I just flicked it up with my left foot and it went in.”

On the opposite side of the field, Brown was left stunned by the Griffins’ goal.

“I don’t even know what to do,” Brown said. “I’m standing in the goal. I didn’t know where to go celebrate. I just ran. I couldn’t even think.”

But he wasn’t shocked about who scored.

“Aiden’s been clutch,” Brown said. “He does what he needs to do. I trust him to do his job.”

That’s trust Shaughnessy started earning a couple months before the season, according to Lincoln-Way East coach Matthew Ribbens.

“One of the games in the summer, I was like, ‘Holy smokes, this kid’s looking good,’” Ribbens said. “It’s just the work ethic. It’s every morning, every workout, everything’s he doing on his own.

“It’s just grit. It might not be pretty all the time, but he gets the job done.”

Shaughnessy finally has his spot on the varsity team, but he knows that might not always come with a lot of playing time.

He’s developed a game-day routine that he said helps him stay ready for whenever he’s needed.

“I keep a little ritual going,” Shaughnessy said. “I eat a lot of fruit and honey. I pet my dog a lot before the game, and then I just listen to music and try to get in the zone.

“When the game starts, I talk to my friends on the bench and they really get me going, too.”

Brown recorded his seventh shutout of the season, with Finnegan Warner, Liam Treacy, Samuel Hernandez and Brian McCracken leading the defensive effort in front of him.

Shaughnessy did his part in the back, too. Then he provided that magical touch.

Williams knew he could do it.

“In the beginning of the season, he didn’t get much playing time,” Williams said. “But when he got in there, we instantly felt his impact and we knew this kid had to stay in the game.

“He’s shown he deserves to be on that field.”