With minutes to go it appeared sub Paul Benson had scored the goal to get Dagenham their first win at Aldershot since their return to the Conference, but man of the match Louis Soares had the final say with two minutes to go.
Despite both sides producing goal feasts last week, neither was able to break the deadlock in an end to end goalless first half.
Aldershot could have gone ahead as early as the first minute. Darren Barnard threaded a 35-yard pass from halfway to the feet of John Grant.
The Shots' top marksman this season combined well with Marcus Gayle on the edge of the area, but the former Wiimbledon hitman was denied the goalscoring chance by a recovering Scott Griffiths.
Dagenham's response was immediate and well worked. Winger Sam Saunders found Cliff Akurang, the former Haybridge Swifts man, showed great intelligence to hold and deliver his cross for Craig Mackail-Smith. The striker, starting his second game this season, bicycle kicked from just outside the sic yard box but failed to find the target.
The Grant and Gayle partnership produced the best chances of the first half and they combined again in the 10th minute from a Barnard free kick. Grant controlled well and found Gayle on the penalty spot but couldn't finish with the ball refusing to sit for him.
Saunders, who impressed throughout, then shot wide from the edge of the area two minutes later.The move started on the halfway line when a Shots attack broke down from a Gayle pass.
Gayle made amends collecting and turning from a Grant dribble, his shot was heading for the top corner before a timely interception from Daggers skipper Anwar Uddin.
The former Premiership striker then produced a similar curling shot on 21 minutes after the skillful Soares dribbled from near his own half to create the chance. This time the ball seemed destined for the net but Tony Roberts produced a stunning one handed save to deny a certain goal.
The Daggers then hit the bar with a clearance from Danny Foster, the ball hitting the woodwork although Nicky Bull appeared in control.
Soares was then shown a yellow card in the 40th minute for a studs up tackle on Jake Leberl. From the resultant free kick Bull got down well low to his right from a Saunders strike.
Aldershot closed out the first half with the best chance. They broke through Williams, he combined with Gayle to release Barnard down the left, his well flighted cross found Grant who headed wide.
The second half lacked the fluidity of the first but was just as dramatic. Ten minutes in Scott Griffiths miscued across the face of his goal from a Williams cross and the ball took an eternity to bounce clear of the right-hand post.
A minute later Saunders seemed destined to score from a Craig Mackail-Smith cross from the left but Cliff Akurang intercepted with the winger in a better position.
Though both sides showed plenty of commitment they lacked the guile to break each other down.
Uddin blocked well from Gayle on the edge of the area, before the game exploded into life in the 85th minute.
Benson, on for Leberl, rose above the Shots defence to fire in a near post header from a Saunders corner. With their duck at the Rec seemingly broken Soares, who showed his class throughout, went past two defenders on the edge of the box before firing into the far corner with Roberts well beaten.