SANDWICH — Dominance on draw controls and quick offensive strikes helped Notre Dame Academy outlast an admirable Sandwich effort to claim a 14-8 girls lacrosse victory.

The Cougars worked quickly in every quarter, scoring within the first 70 seconds of all four. Head coach Meredith Frank McGinnis credited the team’s aggressive approach as a reason for the fast starts.

“We just need to be aggressive on both sides of the ball,” McGinnis said. “Any opportunity that we get a chance to be offensive we have to take advantage of.”

A key to these starts was winning the draw controls, which Taylor Watts was consistently able to do.

“Knowing my teammates and that I can always get it to them is huge,” Watts said. “Sadie (Lopez) and Caroline Haggerty are both really good in the circle and I know that I can get it to them, that’s all I need to do.”

Haggerty got the scoring started early and would add a second moments later. Paige Foraste also scored and it was 3-0 within the first few minutes. The Lady Knights calmed down from there, however, and limited the damage in the opening quarter.

“They are incredibly scrappy,” McGinnis said of Sandwich. “They work super hard, they are very disciplined and are a strong opponent. We are grateful for the game.”

Watts netted her first early in the second quarter, but goals from Avery Cobban and Abigail Kinney made it 4-2. Anna Haggerty, Watts and Ani Woodard would extend the lead to 7-2 but a Quinn Anderson tally gave the game a 7-3 score at the half.

Caroline Haggerty and Woodard opened the scoring in the second half, but Elizabeth Stutzman and Lydia Katzenback drew the score back to 9-5. Woodard would add another at the end of the quarter and Haggerty made it 10-5 early in the fourth.

Quinn Anderson and Sadie Lopez traded goals to make it 11-6 and Anderson nearly made it 11-7 off a penalty, but Cougars goalie Adair Routh held strong.

“She’s a senior captain, she’s a two-year starter and she’s been on this team for three years,” McGinnis said. “We expect her to make those saves and she did that today.”

As Notre Dame Academy prepares for the rest of its season, Watts noted that each game will bring adversity.

“We have to just focus on the next game and the next challenge,” Watts said. “We have to keep on working hard to succeed.”