Hindo Allie’s first shot of the game was the last of his high school career.

What a finish it was.

The Naperville North senior received a pass from junior forward Jaxon Stokes and ripped a 30-yard shot inside the right post with 3:16 left in the second half of the Class 3A third-place game at Hoffman Estates on Saturday.

“Jaxon was through on goal, but he very unselfishly dished it off to me, and I just shot it with the inside of my foot,” Allie said. “I was just trying to get it on target, and I was just excited to see it go in.”

Joel Ruderman scored 40 seconds later to finish the scoring for Naperville North, which beat Glenbrook North 5-2.

It is the eighth state trophy and first for third place for the Huskies (23-2-3), whose bid for a fifth state championship ended with a 1-0 semifinal loss to Lyons on Friday.

Allie, whose goal made the score 4-1, ran over to embrace Stokes, who had two goals and two assists against the Spartans (21-5-2), as Naperville North’s bench erupted.

“The bench went crazy for him,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said of Allie. “They see all he’s done for us. He’s kind of sacrificed a lot of personal accolades and goals to play the 6 for us this year. So when a kid who does that for you all year gets a chance to score, especially on a big stage, everybody is happy.

“Obviously, I was thrilled for him.”

Allie, who wears No. 6, is an attacking player by trade. But he played defensive midfielder, or the 6 as it is known in soccer terms, in order to shore up Naperville North’s young defense.

After missing the first two games of the season to play for Sierra Leone in the U18 African Nations Cup UK, Allie proved to be the linchpin of the Huskies’ 25-game unbeaten streak, serving as a bridge between the defense and the talented forward line led by Stokes and junior Noah Radeke, who had a goal and an assist against Glenbrook North.

“He helped dominate the midfield, winning the balls in the air, and he coordinated everything because he could see the whole field,” Stokes said of Allie. “He would tell us if we had a man on or if we didn’t, and he told us if we could turn or not.

“It helped a lot because we had someone almost managing us and telling us what we could and couldn’t do at times.”

That was important because Allie was the only senior starter. He understood his role and executed it well.

“Playing the 6 is not a position that I usually play, but to be able to play for North, I think it’s just my way of trying to give back to the team and trying to strengthen us defensively,” Allie said. “We were a tough team to score against once we sent Sam (Hess) back to center back with Colin McMahon and I’m at the 6.

“It’s just different players sacrificing themselves and different types of glory for the greater good of the team.”

Allie, who finished with five goals and three assists, was a shining example to his teammates.

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“You’ve got the rah-rah guys that yell and scream and want to be the center of attention,” Konrad said. “What makes Hindo special is that he doesn’t really want those things. He doesn’t want to be the center of attention.

“The best form of leadership is servant leadership. Hindo being willing to serve the team by playing the defensive mid role and make the hard tackles and run for 80 minutes without hope of really getting to play much soccer, that inspires people around you.”

It did against Glenbrook North. Konrad started Ruderman and fellow senior reserves Grant Montanari, Ryne Gaccione, Ryan Paltzer, Jackson Clarke, Dillon Clark and Ryan Anderson, and all played heavy minutes in the first half. Yet the Huskies led 1-0 at halftime.

“When your senior captain is working hard every second of the game, doing all the little things that no one else wants to do, that’s true leadership,” Konrad said. “When you’re willing to act that way and play that way, your teammates can’t let themselves off the hook by not trying.”

Which is why Allie’s goal was such a fitting way to go out.

“As a Huskie, it just means a lot,” Allie said. “I think it was a perfect ending.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.