HINGHAM – Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) and Norwell continued their girls lacrosse rivalry Monday as sophomore Sadie Lopez registered a hat trick, while junior Taylor Watts turned in a pair of goals as the Cougars staved off an incredible rally for an 8-7 win over the Clippers in the latest chapter.

“(Norwell is) very aggressive,” said Notre Dame Academy coach Meredith Frank McGinnis. “They’re very athletic, they’re gritty, they’re just incredibly disciplined. I don’t think we overcame (them), I think we held on. We needed a few possessions, we got a few possessions, and ultimately we just held on.”

The game itself was an anticipated showdown between two of the Commonwealth’s best, with Notre Dame (14-3) seeded second in the Boston Herald’s top 25. Norwell was in the midst of a perfect season, and slotted 12th.

On top of things, the two opposing coaches shared a connection as McGinnis and Clippers coach Laura Callahan were both former teammates at Northwestern. They had even served together collectively at Notre Dame Academy in recent years.

In the early stages, it appeared as though the Cougars might just coast, as Lopez fed a pass to Paige Foraste to set up a goal, before sniping one herself as Notre Dame built a 2-0 lead 3:44 into play.

The trend continued for the majority of the first half, as Anna and Caroline Haggerty each found the cage, while Watts added a pair of goals herself as the Cougars constructed a comfortable 6-1 advantage by the break.

However, no deficit has proven too great for Norwell (11-1) this year, and the Clippers began to navigate their way back into contention. After Lopez buried a shot to provide Notre Dame a 7-1 lead with 9:40 to play in the third quarter, the Clippers scored the game’s next five goals, as Margot Bonnevie connected for a pair, followed by tallies from Meredith Horlbeck and Caroline Burtch.

With 1:04 left in the third, sophomore Lexi Davos converted a free position shot, as Norwell battled back to make it a 7-6 contest in stunning fashion.

Then, Notre Dame began to bleed clock, and had a chance to strike late with a free position shot. Lopez fired a missile into the cage with 4:27 remaining to complete the hat trick, as the Cougars gained some breathing room with an 8-6 advantage.

“When you’re up on that line and the game is like this, it’s just your job to put it in the back of the net,” Lopez said. “On the center hash, we know how to do it. I’ve been there a thousand times. Just put it in the back of the net there for my teammates.”

Charlise Cox tallied her second goal of the game for Norwell with 12 seconds remaining, but the Clippers were unable to pull off the improbable comeback as the clock bled dry.

At the end of the day, the Cougars were able to add another impressive chapter to their story.

“Laura has coached here at Notre Dame before,” McGinnis said afterward. “I can’t say enough good things about her, and her work ethic and knowledge of the game. Her ability to prepare a team and how invested she is … I have the utmost respect for Laura, and for Norwell.’