BARNSTABLE – The Nauset girls lacrosse team felt it had been knocking on the door for a few games. They knew it was only a matter of time before they would get rewarded for their hard work.

After starting the week with losses in three close games, Nauset finally came up on the winning side of a back-and-forth contest when it held off Barnstable for a 7-6 victory Saturday morning in Barnstable.

The win marked the second of the season for the Warriors (2-13).

“It feels amazing,” Nauset coach Heather Stevens said. “We had four games this week because we had to postpone some last week because of COVID, so we were a little nervous about having three in a row, but they played amazing.”

Stevens said her players had a little extra motivation after the Red Hawks (5-10) earned a 10-9 win when the Warriors hosted them April 26 in North Eastham.

“They were fired up because we kind of felt like this got stolen from us at our place, so we were definitely out for this one,” the coach said.

Saturday’s win took a total team effort, especially at the offensive end. Sophomore Sienna Reeves anchored the scoring with a hat trick and two assists, while senior Emily Pearl added two goals and senior Allie Hull and eighth-grader Julia Kipperman tallied a goal each.

Although Nauset’s offense helped the team come out on top, the win wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for the Warriors’ ability to keep the ball away from the Red Hawks.

After sophomore Ally McEneaney scored to cut Barnstable’s deficit to 7-6 with 3:54 remaining, Nauset won control of the ensuing face-off and held onto the ball for almost the entire four minutes of play.

“I could feel the shivers through my body,” Pearl, an Orleans resident, answered when asked what it was like during the last few minutes. “It felt amazing. To be with all of these girls, they are my favorite people in the world.”

Once zeros flashed across the scoreboard, the Warriors ran toward their own net to embrace junior goalie Alden Rogers, who made six saves to secure the win.

It was an animated celebration by a team that was starved for a win.

“It was crazy,” Reeves, a Brewster resident, said of the postgame reaction. “It was like it was the national championship — it was crazy.”

Nauset began its week with a 10-7 loss to Sandwich on May 17, then suffered a 12-6 loss to Mashpee two days later and an 8-6 defeat at Falmouth the next night. All three games were tied at halftime, so the Warriors knew they were doing the right things to compete for wins.

The good fortune finally came the team’s way in Barnstable.

“It feels amazing,” said Hull, an Orleans resident. “We put so much effort into those games and playing as hard as we can, and that effort paying off is a feeling you can’t get anywhere else. Winning is something you can’t comprehend unless you do it, and let me tell you, I’m over the moon right now. This was an insane game. We played really well, and I’m really happy.”

Nauset jumped out to a 3-1 lead before Barnstable answered with two goals before halftime to make it 3-3 at the intermission. Both teams traded goals throughout the second half, and neither garnered a two-goal lead until Pearl scored her second of the game to make it 7-5 with 6:25 to play.

The determination to find the back of the net was evident on both of Pearl’s goals, as she put her head down and drove toward the Barnstable net — where she was met by a sea of defenders and a couple sticks across the face — before firing shots through traffic.

“The drive for this team is crazy,” Pearl explained. “We each want those goals and when we see that open alley, we take it. We’re also really good at settling and knowing when to do those cuts and look for the girls. Each game is improvement for us and we’re all looking forward to our last games.”

If there’s one downer about the weekend’s result, according to Stevens, it’s that the team doesn’t have more time together to continue its climb. Nauset was scheduled to visit Martha’s Vineyard on Tuesday after The Chronicle’s deadline, then host Falmouth at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and Dennis-Yarmouth on senior day at 4 p.m. Monday.

“I wish we had more games left,” Stevens said. “I just think we hit a turning point and they’re ramped up, so we just have to play as hard as we did this week for the next three games that we have.”

Email Brad Joyal at brad@capecodchronicle.com. Twitter: @BradJoyal